New Beginnings, New Fate
by FreeTheKyuubi
Summary: When Naruto finally had enough, he left Konoha in attempt to get away from it all for a while. He didn't expect to meet someone who would change his destiny and become the one thing he had always wanted, family. Naruto/Tenten, Jagaa(OC)/Kurenai (not Anko. Sorry) 'M' for language and sexual humor. (yes, the start is cliche, but I hope the rest of the story entertains you)
1. The Meeting

**A/N:** Hello all, welcome to my second fanfic. I got the idea for this one due to a certain…complication, that has arisen in my first one that I need to find out if people are okay with, or if I'm going to have to do some serious rethinking on it. Anyway, due to that, this story found its way into my brain and just wouldn't go away. So now I present it to you all to see what you think of it. Hope you like it.

Note: This chapter has been reposted due to some issues with Naruto's departure that were pointed out to me by a reviewer (who's name I can't remember nor can I find the review to tell me, but if you're out there, you know who you are and I hope you like the redo) about Naruto's departure that I agreed with. So I tweaked it a bit. Hope you all enjoy it.

A Note after a Note: Also, there are a lot of scenes later in this story that could be considered 'gay bashing'. I would just like to tell you that while I, FreeTheKyuubi, am not gay, I have no problems with gays or lesbians. Especially seeing as I have friends and family members that are gay. The character guilty of the constant comments does have a problem, but that is because of a reason that will be revealed later. Just know that all comments or accusations are purely for comedic purposes and is in no way supposed to be a reflection of dislike for gays or lesbians by me, the author.

**Disclaimer:** I was going to rant on about how I don't own Naruto, but I figured just telling you all would do the trick.

**Chapter 1:** The Meeting

A little boy of only seven years old with sunny blonde hair, deep cerulean blue eyes, and three strange whisker like birthmarks on each of his cheeks was running through the darkened forest as fast as he could. Behind him he could hear the shouts of the villagers fading into the distance as they continued their relentless search for him.

It had been happening as long as he could remember. The villagers were always beating him, yelling at him, denying him access into stores and restaurants or grossly over charging him if they did let him in, and abusing him in any other ways they could think up. Eventually he had learned to stay out of their hate filled sight, only coming out of his small, rundown little apartment when he had no choice. It was the only peace he ever received.

However, there was one day of the year that no matter where he hid the villagers would come looking for him, and if they found him, they would give him the worst beating of the entire year. On several of these occasions he had almost been killed, surviving only due to the timely arrival of a strange group of people that would always have an animal mask on that he had heard some of the villagers call, ANBU. There had been one of them in particular that had saved the boy on many occasions, but he didn't know anything about him other than the fact he wore a dog mask and had weird, silver hair.

So, who was this little blonde boy, and what was this terrible day that now had him running for his life through the forest in the dead of night? The young boys name was, Uzumaki Naruto, and today was October 10th, the little boy's birthday.

After seven years of being neglected and abused, Naruto had finally decided he had had enough. He wanted, no, _needed_ to get out of the village as fast as he could. He had watched the guards at the gate carefully and used the skills he had obtained from years of avoiding being seen to slip past them at the first opportunity. Since none of the villagers had realized his escape, they had continued their search in the village, unaware that their prey was moving further out of their reach with every second.

Naruto ran with everything he had, never slowing down, never looking back, leaving the hidden Shinobi village of Konoha further behind him with every step. As he ran thoughts of an old man in large red and white hat, with a pipe in his mouth, and a gentle smile on his lips came to his mind. The Hokage of Konoha.

The old man had always been kind to him, visiting the poor boy on several occasions. He would always smile and joke with Naruto, even taking the boy to his favorite place in the world, Icharaku's Ramen Stand. He was the only one in the world that Naruto could have ever considered family, and he was leaving him behind with the rest of the village.

'_I'm sorry, Ojii-san, but I can't take it anymore._' The boy mentally apologized as tears welled up in his eyes. '_I promise, I'll get strong, and one day I'll come back to see you again. I won't give up my dream to become the Hokage and gain everyone's respect, but I need to get away for now._'

Naruto had no idea what direction he had been going or for how long he had been running when his legs and lungs could no longer handle the strain he was putting them through. His legs buckled beneath him and he fell headlong into the forest floor, scattering fallen leaves and dirt with his impact.

As he lay panting on the ground, he could feel his eyes slowly starting to force their way shut as the exhaustion from his long exertion began taking its toll on him.

"I just…need to…rest for a…minute." He said as his eyes closed and he was pulled into a deep slumber. The last thing his tired mind registering being the sound of crunching leaves.

X

The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi, stood in his office in front of a large window overlooking Konoha. He could see the festival very easily from where he was. He could honestly say that he didn't like it either. The festival was held once a year in commemoration of a great hero of the village. That Hero had been the Yondaime Hokage, who had died saving the village from a terrible menace known as The Kyuubi.

The Kyuubi was a giant nine tailed fox that wrought destruction and chaos wherever it went. Its tails were said to level mountains and cause tsunamis with a single sweep. It was such a terrible menace that it had become thought of as a natural disaster, something that could only be survived through, never prevented.

On this day, October 10th, exactly seven years ago, the fox had attacked Konoha. No body knows its reason for doing so, or if it even _had_ a reason, but the ninja of Konoha had risen up and fought the great beast instead of hiding in fear. The battle had raged for hours on end and a great many lives were lost until the Yondaime gave his life in exchange for sealing the Kyuubi's soul into a newborn baby, thus stopping the fox's reign of fear and destruction.

The child that had been forced to carry the heavy burden of being the Kyuubi's jailor was none other than, Uzumaki Naruto.

It had been the Yondaime's dying wish that Naruto be seen as a hero for the burden he now bore, but as soon as Sarutobi announced to the villagers what had happened they started rioting and demanding that the blonde baby be put to death. In the end, Sarutobi had been forced to call in his ANBU to stop the riot and detain some of the more violent villagers. It was then that he passed a law that nobody was to ever speak of that day's events or Naruto's burden to any of the younger generations. Breaking this law would be considered a capitol offence punishable by death. It was the old mans hope that by doing so, at the very least Naruto would be able to find a place among the youth of the village and have something of a normal life.

Unfortunately, Sarutobi's hopes were dashed as the years passed. The adults of the village scorned and abused Naruto, and that hateful attitude had been passed to their children. Naruto was treated as a plague and made an outcast by everyone, young and old alike. The boy never had a friend, and lived alone in a pathetic little apartment that Sarutobi had, through intimidation and more than a few threats, managed to get him after he had been found living on the streets because the orphanage had kicked him out.

Now the old man waited impatiently for the ANBU he had dispatched to bring Naruto to the office for protection. He knew that the beatings were the worst on this day. People remembered the pain of losing loved ones in that terrible battle and took their misguided anger out on the innocent boy. Sarutobi had had enough of it though, and had vowed that day to insure that Naruto would not have to suffer this year as he had the last six. It was the least he could do for the poor boy.

Two chakra signatures arrived behind him, and Sarutobi gave a sigh of relief when he recognized them as being the two he had sent to retrieve Naruto. He turned around with his kindly smile in place, only to have that smile drop when he saw that the boy was not with the two kneeling ANBU.

"What happened? Where is Naruto?" He demanded, afraid that something may have already happened to the boy.

"We went to his apartment to get him as you ordered, Hokage-sama, but he was not there." The ANBU in front said. He wore a dog mask and had a head of gravity defying silver hair. Sarutobi had assigned this particular ANBU to watch over Naruto on many occasions since he was one of the few who had no hatred for the boy. "However, when we searched his apartment for signs of struggle, we found this on the kitchen table." The silver haired man held out a dirty piece of paper to the Hokage.

Sarutobi instantly recognized the untidy scrawl of Naruto's handwriting, and was certain he already knew what it said even as he began reading.

_Dear Ojii-san,_

_I'm really sorry about this, but I really had to leave. I didn't want to leave you behind since you are the only one who has ever been nice to me, but I promise I'll see you again. I'll get stronger and come back so that I can be the Hokage, just like I told you I would. I hope you aren't mad at me for doing this, but I just had to get away from the village and all the mean looks and beatings. Take care of yourself, Ojii-san, and know that you are really the only person I'll miss while I'm gone. Well maybe I'll miss that dog guy too, but we never talk so I probably won't miss him that much._

_Bye Ojii-san,_

_Naruto_

_P.S. When I come back, will you buy me some ramen?_

Despite the sadness and worry the old man felt from reading the letter, he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at Naruto's last comment. Trust that boy to think of ramen even as he prepared to leave the village.

Sarutobi's thoughts grew more serious then. By all accounts, he should send his ANBU to track the boy down and bring him back to the village as soon as possible, but the more he thought about it the more like a bad idea it sounded. Naruto had left the village because he could no longer stand the treatment that the villagers put him through, and the old man really couldn't blame him for that. If he were honest with himself, he would have to admit that getting out of the village was probably the best thing for him right now. To bring him back now could devastate the boy who was only looking for some sort of relief from the nightmare that was his life. Sarutobi knew that he needed to let Naruto have this, but that didn't make him worry any less for the boy's safety.

Sarutobi raised his eyes from the letter to the two ANBU who were still kneeling in front of him and an idea quickly formed. "Captain," He said to the dog masked man. "Your subordinate is dismissed, but I would like to discuss something with you before you go."

The dog masked man turned to look at his companion, who nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Looking back at the Hokage he spoke. "What do you need, Hokage-sama?"

"I think you already know what I am going to ask of you, Kakashi." Sarutobi said, getting straight to the point.

The man nodded, "You want me to find Naruto and make sure he is safe, but not bring him back. Is that right, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, as much as it pains me to admit, it would be good for Naruto to have his chance to get away from the scorn of the village for a while. However, I can not let him just go without making sure he is taken care of. That's why your mission will be to find Naruto and follow him until you have determined he will be safe. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

With a heavy sigh, Sarutobi turned back to the window he had been staring out before, his eyes looking over the rooftops to the mountains beyond them as if hoping to catch sight of the blonde haired boy.

'_I have failed you horribly thus far, Naruto. I only hope that this decision will be the right one_.'

X

He was warm. That was the first thing that came to Naruto's mind as he slowly came out of his blissful slumber. He had expected to wake up cold and shivering having fallen asleep on the forest floor, but he was undeniably warm. He also noticed that his head was resting on something soft. How that came to be Naruto had no idea, but he knew there was only one way to find out.

Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself on his back, staring at the starry night sky. He couldn't have been asleep that long if it was still night out. Turning his head he found the source of his comfortable warmth was a happily dancing fire about two meters away from him and a quick look down told him that his head had been resting on his own rolled up jacket.

"So, you're finally awake, eh?"

Naruto jumped at least a foot into the air and clutched his chest before turning to the owner of the voice that had just scared the shit out of him.

Walking in from the shadows of the trees was a young man that looked like he couldn't be older than twenty, wearing nothing but black. His torso was covered with a black, Gi like top that disappeared into his black shinobi pants and wore a pair of black boots that the legs of his pants were tucked into. Strangely enough, despite the fact it was the middle of the night, he also wore a pair of dark black half-framed sunglasses that completely hid his eyes from view. While looking at his face, Naruto also caught sight of a black wrapped sword hilt sticking out over the man's right shoulder. Once the stranger got closer, the fire light better revealed his features and Naruto saw that his arms and the visible portion of his chest had several large scars on them that could only signify a hard, battle filled life.

Of all the things that Naruto could have been impressed with though, it was the stranger's hair that caught his interest the most. It was short and seemed to defy gravity somewhat, only with out the spike appearance Naruto's had, but what made it interesting to the boy was that it was a sort of dark, dirty-blonde color that Naruto had never seen. That wasn't to say that he had never met another blonde before, it was just that he had never seen this particular shade. He had seen that one girl playing with her friends at the park. She had a kind of platinum colored blonde. Then there was that man that Naruto was fairly sure was her father since he always picked her up from the park, but his was just a bit darker shade of blonde.

"You hungry, kid." The stranger asked as he held up four fish that were attached on a line of ninja wire.

Naruto didn't get to answer because at that moment his stomach decided to let off a loud growl. Naruto blushed a little in embarrassment when the young man laughed. "I guess I'll take that as a yes, but you'll have to wait until they cook first." He took out four sticks he had been carrying with him and proceeded to impale each fish on one before propping the sticks in the dirt so the fish could be cooked by the heat of the fire.

"So, kid, you want to tell me what you were doing sleeping on the ground in the middle of the forest all alone? The last time I checked, that wasn't the smartest thing for a kid your age to be doing." The stranger asked as he sat cross legged on the ground behind the fish.

Naruto shifted uneasily at the older boy's question and looked down. It wasn't that he didn't trust the stranger seeing as he had not shown any sort of malice and was already taking care of him. It was just that he didn't want to go back to the village yet, and if he told him, the older male might feel obligated to take him back.

"Well I suppose if you don't trust me you don't have to tell me. I know I'm not the safest looking person around." The boy said making Naruto snap his head back up. Naruto was a little surprised to see a good natured smile on the teen's face instead of the disappointed frown he had been expecting.

Shaking his head, Naruto spoke for the first time that evening. "It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that I don't want to go back to where I came from yet. If I don't tell you, then you have no reason to take me back."

"Can't say I don't like the logic, but what makes you so sure I'd try to?" The stranger said as he turned the fish to keep them cooking evenly. Taking in Naruto's surprised expression he simply shrugged. "You left for your own reasons, right? I may not know what those reasons are, but I wouldn't take you back to a place that you obviously want to get away from. I took off to challenge the world on myself when I wasn't much older than you, so it'd be kind hypocritical of me to tell you you're wrong in doing it too. Don't you think?"

Naruto wasn't sure if he was more relieved that the older boy wasn't planning to force him to go back, or surprised that he had just said that he also had left his home a long time ago. "Why did you leave?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, ah." The older boy said with a wag of his finger. "I made the fire and caught the fish, so it's only fair that you tell the first story. Before that though, we need to know what to call each other, right? So, what's your name kid?"

Naruto looked a little sheepish since he hadn't realized that he didn't even know the name of the person who had helped him, but answered energetically. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, seven years old, and the future Hokage of Konoha." He hadn't really meant to add that last part, but old habits were hard to break.

The stranger smiled slightly at Naruto's proud declaration. "I guess that saves me the time of asking where you came from." Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly as the other boy continued. "Well, Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage. My name is Jagaa. Just Jagaa. I'm also seventeen years old, and," the young man took on a noble pose and declared proudly. "The most badass mother fucker you'll ever meet!"

Naruto stared at the teen in silence. His mind not sure how to process that last part.

"Hmm, tough crowd." Jagaa muttered.

The younger blonde decided the best thing to do would be to just ignore the comment and opted to instead ask a question that had entered his mind during Jagaa's introduction. "So, why don't you have a clan name? Did something happen?"

Jagaa looked down and shook his head slightly, and Naruto could have sworn he saw a sad smile pass his lips. "That's a story for another day, kid." When Jagaa looked back up all trace of the sadness that Naruto thought he had seen was gone. "Speaking of stories, why don't you tell me yours over a roasted fish?" Jagaa plucked one of the sticks out of the ground and handed the freshly cooked food to the eager boy. Naruto took it gratefully and quickly took a large bite, only to immediately start choking on a bone.

"Take it slow, kid." Jagaa said as patted Naruto on the back. "Don't make me have wasted my time making the fire because you went and died choking on a fish bone."

Naruto laughed painfully as the bone was dislodged from his throat and, when he took his next bite, was very careful to be mindful of the dangerous little things.

"So, going off your self introduction, you're from Konoha, right?" Naruto nodded at Jagaa's question. "So why did you leave? It seems like it would make it a little hard to accomplish you goal doesn't it?" Jagaa was observing the boy carefully as he asked his question, and was a little worried when he noticed the boy's happy eyes dim as a painful sadness filled them.

"I...I just…I had to get away from it…If only for a while." Naruto said sadly. Jagaa made no comment as he waited for the boy to continue. Naruto saw Jagaa's patient silence and took a little comfort in it. The older boy was letting him tell him at his own pace. Taking a deep breath, Naruto spoke again. "All my life, the villagers have glared at me, called me names, even…beat me. They were always calling me things like Monster or Freak, and they wouldn't let their kids play with me so I never had any friends. I wasn't allowed into most stores or food places, and would sometimes throw rocks at me, or spit on me as I walked by. I have been beaten more times than I can remember, and sometimes I think I might have died if those masked guy's hadn't saved me." As Naruto finished he hugged himself to his knees and stared into the fire. "I just needed to get away." He whispered.

"…I can see why." Jagaa said lowly as he too watched the dancing flames. "What I don't understand though, is why you want to be the Hokage of a place like that. If I understand it right, a Kage is supposed to protect the people of his village even if it costs him his life. Why would you want to do that for a village that has caused you so much pain?"

"To show them they were wrong!" Naruto's answer compelled Jagaa to turn back to the boy, and he was amazed to find a fierce determination shining in his eyes. "I'll show them that I'm not worthless, that I'm not some sort of monster! I'll become the strongest in the entire village and make them all respect me!" Naruto looked at Jagaa with unwavering resolve. After a few moments of staring at each other Jagaa started chuckling softly, earning him a confused stare from Naruto.

"That's one hell of a goal you got there, kid. What will you do if it doesn't work though? What if, even after you become the Hokage, they still don't respect you? Will you still be able to protect them?" Even though Naruto couldn't see Jagaa's eyes, he could almost feel the intensity of his gaze through them.

Naruto met that gaze with his own, his determination never wavering. "I will! Even if they still hate me, I'll keep trying! No matter how long it takes, I'll keep trying and one day I'll change their minds!"

Jagaa held Naruto's gaze for moment before smiling. "Good answer, but I think you still have a long way to go before you get there. So, would you like some help?" Naruto looked incredulously at Jagaa who never lost his smile.

"If you want, you're welcome to travel with me." Jagaa said to the shell shocked boy. "I'll teach you what I can as we go and may even be able to find some people who would be willing to teach you what I can't. You'll also be able to see the world and learn about the different cultures and ideals of the other nations. A useful thing to know as a Hokage, don't you think? Of course when you feel you're ready to go home, I'll take you back to Konoha. It would be hard for you to become the Hokage other wise, right?" Jagaa was trying to gauge the boy's reaction to his offer, but Naruto was staring into space in a dumbstruck gaze. "Uh, Kid? Naruto?"

The next thing Jagaa knew he was tackled by a mass of sunny-blonde hair that started hugging him tightly that and screaming "Thank You" repeatedly at the top of his lungs. Jagaa's surprised expression changed and a soft, barely visible smile came to his lips. "No problem, kid, but if you're going to be traveling with me, you need to get some sleep. It's really late already and I like to start moving early so-" Jagaa didn't get to finish as Naruto launched off him and resumed his place that he had woken up in. With one more yell of thanks he closed is eyes and seemed to be trying to force him self to sleep.

Jagaa laughed silently to himself at the boy's antics, while at the same time wondering just what he may have gotten himself into.

X

The scarred man sat silently as the fire turn to glowing red embers and listened to the rather loud snoring coming from the little blonde boy across from him. For someone who seemed to be bursting with energy as he tackled Jagaa, Naruto sure had fallen asleep in record time. Jagaa couldn't hold back the low chuckle that came as he decided that his life was probably about to get far more interesting than he had ever thought possible.

Jagaa's thoughts then darkened as he remembered just what the kid had told him. It had taken all the will power he had not to show how angry the village's treatment of Naruto had made him. Hell, he had only known him for less than twenty minutes and he could already tell that the boy was practically the incarnate of kindness. For any one to be able to willingly harm a boy like him…

Jagaa shook his head to clear away the path his thoughts were leading him down. He had already promised that he would help the boy achieve his dream. That meant that he would have to one day take him back to the village, no matter how much he felt that a village like that didn't deserve someone like Naruto in it. He decided he would think more on the matter later, right now he had something to take care of.

With another quick examination to make sure Naruto was still asleep, Jagaa stood up from his spot on the ground and walked into the darkened forest. Once he was about one hundred meters from camp he spoke to the surrounding trees. "You know, it's not polite to spy on people. So how about you quite hiding and show your self?"

A swirl of leaves erupted about twenty feet in front of him before dying away to reveal a man with gravity defying hair and wearing a porcelain dog mask.

"So, you knew I was there all along, huh?" Kakashi said in a partially congratulatory tone.

"Don't sound so impressed. It might be flattering if you had actually been _trying _to hide, but as it stands it's somewhat insulting." Jagaa said and crossed his scarred arms.

"Ah, sorry about that. I didn't realize you were good at sensing chakra." Kakashi apologized and scratched the back of his head.

"Why don't you cut the bullshit and tell me why you're here." Jagaa said in a no nonsense tone. "I'll warn you now that if you're here to take Naruto back to Konoha, I'll be inclined to stop you. If even half of what that kid said is true then that village is the last place he should be."

Kakashi raised his hands in a placating manner. "I agree, as does the Hokage." Kakashi's statement caused Jagaa to raise an eyebrow over his glasses.

"If that's the case, then why are you here?"

"The Hokage wanted to make sure that Naruto was safe. So he sent me to watch over him and protect him from the shadows until I deemed him such. Like someone taking him in, for example." He tilted his head, and Jagaa was sure that the man was smiling beneath his dog mask.

"Well, since you already heard my conversation with the kid, which ended about an hour ago by the way, why are you still here?"

Kakashi casually put his hands in his pockets while still facing Jagaa. "Saying you'll protect someone, and actually meaning to do it, are two different things." He said in a much more serious tone than he had been using.

"I see." Jagaa said with his arms still crossed in front of him. "So you mean to find out if I'm a man of my word?"

"Yep." Kakashi answered with a carefree tone. The wind blew through the forest carrying leaves and dust as the two stood facing each other.

In a flash of movement and ring of steel, the space between the two closed, and Kakashi was a bit surprised to find a three foot Ninjato at the side of his neck, even as he held a kunai to Jagaa's chest. The two stood in that position for a while longer before simultaneously withdrawing their weapons and taking a step back from each other.

"Hatake Kakashi, nice to meet you." Kakashi introduced himself with a hidden smile.

"Jagaa, but you already knew that." Jagaa replied, lowering his blade to his side.

"Hmm," Kakashi smiled. "It looks like you weren't lying after all. So I'll just be going now." Kakashi turned to leave but stopped as he remembered something. "By the way, I noticed you seem to be a loner, but if Naruto's dream is to become the Hokage he is going to need to understand the value of teamwork."

"Don't worry about that. I may like to fight alone, but I know that everyone needs help sometimes. Hell, I would probably have been killed already if I didn't." Jagaa did his own turn and started walking back to where Naruto was but stopped and looked over his shoulder after a few steps. "You know, I have to wonder what is wrong with your villagers if they can willingly attack someone like Naruto. The boy practically radiates kindness and caring. Would you like to explain why he has been the target of such hate all his life?"

"Unfortunately I can't. It's an 'S' classed secret punishable by death to reveal it without the Hokage's permission. Which I don't have. If you want to know, you will have to ask the Hokage directly. I _can_ tell you that it was in no way Naruto's fault…or his choice."

"I wouldn't have believed you if you had said otherwise. The kid's just too innocent to have willingly done something to make people hate him." Jagaa said, his tone firm.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "I'm sure you'll be told all about it once you return to Konoha. Until then, please take care of Naruto." The other man nodded silently to which Kakashi nodded in response and leaves began to circle around him. "Oh, and when you get back, I'd very much like to spar with you again." His friendly tone was carried on the wind as the man disappeared.

Jagaa looked at the spot Kakashi had been standing for a moment, and then slowly raised his blade in front of him where he silently examined it before a small smile came to his lips. "…interesting." Sliding his blade back into its sheath, the man turned and walked back toward the fire. And his new traveling companion.

X

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only stare incredulously at the most skilled Jounin under his command as the man finished lazily giving his report. "And you just _left_ _him_!? With a man you had only spoken to for _five minutes_!?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said easily.

The aged Hokage took several calming breaths as he fought his desire to jump over his own desk and strangle the silver haired man. "Do you have any idea what you've done, Kakashi? You've left a boy, who has the most powerful bijuu in existence locked inside him, with a man, another _shinobi_, who's allegiance and motives you don't even know. What if he turns Naruto against Konoha? Or worse. Into a living weapon?"

"He won't." Kakashi replied, his voice losing its lazy quality and becoming more serious. Almost defiant.

Sarutobi locked his eyes with Kakashi's single, visible eye. "And how can you be sure?"

"Because our blades crossed."

The Hokage was visibly taken aback by the statement. "You could read his heart? Someone you had only just met?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Not fully. No. However, when our blades crossed in that single instant, it was as if…I were crossing blades with a best friend. I felt something like…a familiarity. I just knew that he wasn't lying. That he was going to protect Naruto." Kakashi paused, his eye going distant. "It was as if my soul itself were telling me that he was a person I could trust."

Sarutobi was silent for some time, his thoughts wrapping around what he had just been told. Finally, he spoke in a low, serious voice. "Do you understand what could happen if you're wrong, Kakashi?"

The Jounin stared back at his leader, his visible eye glowing with firm conviction. "I'm not wrong."

Silence once again filled the air, but it did not last long as the Sandaime leaned back in his chair, lowering his head acceptance. "Very well. You're dismissed, Kakashi." The silver haired man saluted silently and vanished in a swirl of leaves. With a sigh, the old man stood, looking out the widow and over the lit village. He knew that he shouldn't be allowing this. He knew he should be sending out an ANBU squad to get Naruto away from the unknown man. But, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He wanted to believe. No. He _needed_ to believe in the feeling that Kakashi had experienced. He had to believe that he really was doing the best thing for the boy. He had to believe that this was all being guided by fate.

Sarutobi shifted his eyes from the glowing village to the darkened sky above. "I hope I'm doing the right thing for you, Naruto."

**A/N:** Well, what do you all think? I should warn you now that as it stands I have this story very minimally planned out so right now, so it could be a while between updates.

Oh and does anyone have any suggestions on who Naruto should be paired with. Anyone, anyone at all?


	2. Home Again

**A/N: **Phew, I actually finished the first chapter of this story. I thought it would be harder to write more than one story, but it isn't so bad. It's just a pain to find the time to write.

Any way, as you may have noticed I have decided to make this a Naruto/Tenten fic. It was a serious internal debate for a while between Ino and her, but I decided to go with Tenten. Sorry Ino lovers (me being one of them) but I'm going with my other favorite pairing. Thanks to anyone who gave a suggestion. I can honestly say I mulled over each one of them for a good while before deciding on this pairing.

**Disclaimer:** Raise your hand if you think I own Naruto so I can kill you for stupidity.

**Chapter 2:** Home Again

"Seriously though, do you really want to go back already? It's only been, what, four years? Why are you so dead set on going back so soon?" Jagaa asked the young boy next to him.

In four years not much had changed about Jagaa. The dirty blonde still wore all black and the hilt of his sword still stuck out over his right shoulder. With one of his scarred arms, he reached up and adjusted his dark sunglasses to sit more comfortably.

"I have to graduate from the academy to be a Konoha ninja, Nii-san. So I have to go back now or I won't be able to graduate with kids my own age." Naruto answered.

Where as Jagaa had changed very little, the same could not be said about Naruto. The boy's sunny blonde hair was much longer than it had been before, with his bangs falling just over the top of his eyes and the back being pulled into a small ponytail that stopped just above his shoulder blades. He wore a pair of black combat boots, much the same as Jagaa's, and a pair of dark blue shinobi pants with a black kunai pouch strapped to his right leg. A plain black T shirt, underneath a dark blue jacket that was left open in the front and had the sleeves cut off covered his upper body and on his hands was a pair of fingerless black gloves with a metal plate on the back of them.

However, despite his somewhat 'Badass' appearance, his eyes still sparkled with a kindness that few people could posses, and his foxy grin was still as bright as ever between his whisker marked cheeks.

"We are talking about the same kids that treated you like dirt when you were there, right? Why would want to graduate with them anyway?"

"Because, it would be my first step in proving them all wrong about me." Naruto said seriously. "If I can show the kids who picked on me that I'm not the loser they thought I was then maybe I'll even be able to show the rest of the village that I'm not the monster they say I am."

Jagaa sighed. They had been having the same conversation for the last three days. Jagaa had grown extremely fond of the young boy in the years they had been traveling together, even coming to think of him as the little brother he had never had. In fact, during their travels Naruto had managed to make a great number of friends and acquaintances that Jagaa would not have thought possible. The boy just had this aura that seemed to draw people to him like a light in the darkness.

That was why Jagaa wasn't all that thrilled about taking Naruto back to a place that treated him like some sort of plague. If he hadn't promised the boy that he would take him back when he was ready, Jagaa would have knocked him out and took him to snow country or something. Anyplace would be better than Konoha. Alas, Jagaa was a man of his word and could do nothing more than try to talk Naruto out of it. To bad the kid was as stubborn as a mule.

"Nii-san, we're almost there!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement.

"Great." Jagaa replied in a tone that was decidedly _not_.

"Oh come on, Nii-san. It won't be that bad." Naruto reproved.

Jagaa looked less than convinced. "Whatever brat. By the way, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

"Why?" Naruto asked. "Isn't okay for me to call my Nii-san, Nii-san?"

"Exactly when was this 'Nii-san' thing decided on? I sure as hell wasn't there for the meeting." Jagaa really didn't mind that Naruto called him that, especially since he _did_ already think of the boy like a little brother, he just wanted to see if he could make Naruto sweat a little. To bad he forgot about one of Naruto's ultimate secret weapons.

Naruto's eyes widened and started to tear up slightly, while his bottom lip started quivering in a powerfully heart wrenching display of puppy dog eyes that made Jagaa step back slightly. "Y-you mean, you don't w-want to be my Nii-san?" Naruto's voice cracked slightly, and a tear looked about to fall from the corner of his eye.

"Okay, okay, you win!" Jagaa yelled as he crossed his arms in front of him defensively. "Just stop doing that!"

Naruto smirked triumphantly. "I knew you wanted to be my Nii-san, Nii-san."

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Just remind me to kill Hitomi the next time I see her for teaching you her damned 'Puppy eyes no Jutsu"."

"You would never hurt her and you know it, Nii-san."

"She doesn't need to know that though."

"She already does."

"…Damn."

Naruto smiled and looked back up the road. He let out an excited gasp when he realized he could already see the gate guards. "We're finally here!" Naruto yelled happily. "I can't wait to eat Ichiraku's ramen again!"

Jagaa didn't reply, instead he focused on the two guards at the village gate. As soon as Naruto had started yelling about ramen both their gazes had zeroed in on the happy blonde, and it didn't take a genius to know that they weren't happy about what they saw.

"Stop right there!" The closest guard said sneeringly. "Just what do you think _you_ are doing back here?"

Naruto's happy smile faltered slightly but was back to quickly for most people to notice. The young blonde was about to say something, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Naruto just came back from an extended training trip." Jagaa said in a cool tone. "He's here so that he can finish the academy and become a Konoha Genin."

"What makes you think we want that _thing_ as a ninja for Konoha?" The second guard snarled.

Jagaa's eyes narrowed dangerously behind his glasses and his tone became dark. "I couldn't give a shit if _you_ want him here or not. _He_ wants to be a Konoha ninja, and_ I_ plan on making sure he does."

The first guard was sneering even more than before. "Oh, and what if we decide that we won't let you through the gate, huh?"

Jagaa's expression became downright sinister and an evil smile came to his lips even as his hand started moving to his sword. "I'm _so_ glad you asked."

"Now, now, Jagaa-san. Is killing the gate guards really the wisest thing to do on your first day in Konoha?" A bored sounding voice came from off to the side.

Naruto, Jagaa, and the two guards looked to where the voice came from to see a tall silver haired man in standard a standard Konoha Jounin uniform wearing a mask that covered the bottom half of his face and his hitai ate pulled down over his left eye. His right eye was curled into an upside down 'U' that seemed to say he was smiling beneath his mask.

Jagaa smiled as soon as he saw him. "Hatake Kakashi, eh? I didn't think I would see you so soon after we got here."

"I know you!" Naruto suddenly yelled in surprise. "You were the guy in the dog mask right?"

Kakashi smiled at Naruto and nodded. "Yep, that was me. I'm surprised you figured it out so quickly though."

"Oh please." Jagaa scoffed. "The only real difference between the dog mask and the way you look now is that your right eye is visible. At least get a hair cut if you don't want people to figure it out."

"Kakashi-san," The first guard spoke up finally. "Do you know this…_person_?" The guard's pause said plainly that he wanted to call Jagaa something else, and even an idiot could tell it would have been a reference about Naruto.

"Why, yes." Kakashi said warmly. "He's the person Hokage-sama entrusted to take care of Naruto while he was away from the village."

"I thought _you_ decided on that? Isn't that what your little test was all about?" Jagaa asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "Hokage-sama told me to make sure Naruto would be safe. So in a way leaving Naruto with you was his decision. I was just making sure you were strong enough to handle it."

"I guess that makes sense."

If anyone had been looking at the two guards, they would have noticed that their faces had paled at the mention of the Hokage and had steadily been getting paler as the conversation continued.

"At any rate, Hokage-sama will be pleased to find out you're back, Naruto. What do you say we go to the Hokage tower and see him?"

"YATTA!" Naruto yelled, jumping off the ground and pumping his fist into the air. "I finally get to see the old man again! The first thing I'm gonna do is have him treat me to some ramen!"

Kakashi smiled fondly behind his mask. It was good to see that Naruto was still Naruto. "Well, shall we get going then?"

"Why don't you two go on ahead?" Jagaa said and turned back to the guards. "I still have something I want to talk to these two about." Jagaa was about to start walking to the still pale guards when he was suddenly jerked backwards and fell on his ass. Feeling a grip the back of his vest, he tilted his head back and found himself facing Naruto's narrowed eyes. "May I help you?"

"Oh no you don't, Nii-san." Naruto said sternly. "The last time you told me to go on ahead so you could 'Talk' to someone, I saw that guys face on a missing persons poster two days later."

"I wasn't gonna kill them." Jagaa said. "I was just going to _almost_ kill them. You know, beat them to within an inch of their life."

Despite the fact he was getting reprimanded by an eleven year old, the matter of fact way Jagaa said that made the two guards pale considerably more.

Naruto rolled his eyes and started walking while still holding on to the back of Jagaa's vest. "Let's go, Nii-san."

"Aren't students supposed to listen to their Sensei and not interfere with there fun?" Jagaa said sullenly and crossed his arms.

"Not when that Sensei's fun is going to make it harder for the student to accomplish his dream." Naruto said dangerously.

Jagaa only 'hmmphed' and turned his head to the side.

Kakashi's eye twinkled as he tried to hold in his laughter at the rather comical sight of an eleven year old boy dragging a sulking twenty one year old man. He had a feeling that the village of Konoha was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

X X X X X

"OJII-SAN!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs and jumped over the desk and into the arms of a very surprised old man. "I've missed you!"

"N-Naruto-kun? Is that really you?" Sarutobi asked in disbelief. However, there was no mistaking that foxy smile he was flashed with as soon as he asked.

"That's right, Ojii-san, I'm back!" Naruto had dropped his voice somewhat but it was still enough to make the old Hokage flinch a little at the volume. Even still, his happy smile never left his face.

"It's good to have you back, Naruto-kun. But I'm a little surprised to see you back this soon."

"See, I told you we should have waited a few more years. Since the old man agrees with me, let's get the hell out here." Jagaa said as he walked in behind Kakashi.

Sarutobi was a little surprised by Jagaa's appearance. Kakashi had told him that the person he had left Naruto with was young, but he didn't expect him to be _this_ young. Still, the visible scars on his body and the relaxed but guarded way he carried himself showed clearly that the young man was no stranger to battle. The other surprising thing was the way the young man seemed to have no fear or apprehension about being in his presence. Even as he progressed in age, even the most seasoned shinobi had been respectful and somewhat cautious in dealing with him, but this one walked right in calling him and old man in much the same way Naruto would. For some reason, Sarutobi found it refreshing.

"Now, now, I didn't say that. I simply said I was surprised." The old Hokage said with a chuckle. "In fact, this is a perfect time for Naruto to come back. Now he can finish off his training at the academy and graduate with people his own age."

"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed jumping out of the Hokage's grip and onto his desk before pointing at Jagaa. "I told you it was a good idea, Nii-san!"

"Whatever brat. More importantly," Jagaa focused on the old man sitting behind the desk Naruto was standing on. "Are you really the strongest person in this village? You seem like you could drop dead at any moment now."

The effect was instantaneous. Kakashi started choking on air, Naruto's eyes widened, the pipe fell out of the old mans mouth, and a loud thud implied that an eavesdropper may have just fainted outside the door.

Jagaa looked around the room curiously at all of their reactions. "What?"

For a while the room was completely silent, but soon after a low chuckling was heard. Looking to the source, they saw the old Hokage with his head tilted downwards and his shoulders shaking in sync with the chuckling. It didn't take long before the chuckling turned into full blown laughter leaving three very confused bystanders.

"I should have known," The old man said through his laughter, "That Naruto would meet someone even more blunt and outspoken than him." Sarutobi wiped his eyes as his laughter slowly died down. He decided right then that he liked this young man.

When his mirth finally faded away, the aged Hokage turned back to Naruto, who had yet to get off his desk. "I'm very glad you're back, Naruto-kun. It's been a bit boring here without you."

Naruto gave him one of his biggest grins ever.

"Well, since the two of you arrived so early in the morning we could most likely get you into school today if that's what you wanted Naruto."

"YATTA! Let's go! Let's go now!" Naruto yelled and jumped up and down excitedly.

His cheering and jumping was cut off by a fist slamming on to the top of his head as Jagaa stood over him, standing on the Hokage's desk just like Naruto, with an irritated expression. "How many times do I have to tell not to yell all the time?" He growled as Naruto rubbed the lump that was forming from the impact.

Sarutobi and Kakashi just smiled in amusement.

X X X X X

"So what am I doing here again? He's the one who wants to go here, not me." Jagaa said as he, Naruto, Kakashi, and the Hokage walked through the halls of Konoha's shinobi academy.

"Wouldn't you like to have a better understanding of what sort of environment and curriculum Naruto will be trained in while going to this academy?" Sarutobi asked the irritated young man.

"Not really, no."

"You know, Nii-san, most _other_ Sensei would _want_ to see how their students will be trained when they're not around." Naruto said pointedly.

"Well, most students aren't as big a pain in the ass as you." Jagaa countered with a slight growl in his voice.

"Would it really kill you to at least try to support me on my decision to finish off the academy?" Naruto almost whined.

"I decided that it would be best if I didn't take any chances on that."

"You're an asshole, Nii-san!"

"I know. I've been working at it for years."

"You know, you really…." Naruto's remark was cut off by a loud shout coming from the other side of the classroom door.

"Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino Pig!"

"Why? It's obvious he would rather be with me than someone who could rent themselves out as a walking advertisement, Billboard Brow."

"I'm sure he'd like me better than livestock, Piggy!"

"I dare you to say that again, Forehead Girl!"

The next instant there was a clatter of chairs falling over followed by shouts of encouragement and people placing bets.

"BOTH OF YOU STOP FIGHTING THIS INSTANT!" A man yelled with a voice level that only a teacher could reach.

"It seems we arrived at an interesting time." Sarutobi said with a good natured chuckle as he opened the classroom door.

As the new arrivals walked into the classroom the first thing they saw was a brown haired Chuunin trying without much success to pry a platinum blonde haired girl off of a pink haired one.

"This place might not be so bad after all." Jagaa mused thoughtfully.

The sound of the unfamiliar voice somehow managed to cut through the class room and draw everyone's attention to the two blondes standing in the front of the class. A collective gasp came from the girls of the class when they saw Naruto, many of them with little hearts in their eyes.

"Why?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "Because of the fact the students here seem ready to fight at the drop of a hat, or because you were getting off on seeing two girls hanging on each other?"

Jagaa looked highly affronted by Naruto's accusation. "The girls in this class are your age you dumb ass. I'm not a fucking pedophile."

Naruto looked skeptical. "I don't know. There was that one girl in Kiri."

"I don't care what that girl said, there's no way she was only fifteen!" Jagaa defended fiercely. "Besides, that was three years ago. Even if she was underage then, she'd be perfectly…legal…now…" Jagaa's expression became one of someone who had just had a divine revelation before he snapped his head to Naruto and spoke quickly. "I just remembered I have something to do in Kiri!" Jagaa turned to run out the door when a large object slammed into the back of his knees dropping him to the floor. Shaking his head and looking over his shoulder he found that Naruto had full body talked his legs and was now planted firmly on top of them.

"Hell no! There's no way you're ditching me now just so you can go chase some ass!" Naruto growled.

"What do you care? You wanted to go to the academy anyway so you don't need me around for a while." Jagaa protested.

"You promised that you would stay with me and keep training me even while I was going to the academy remember!" Naruto grated.

Jagaa sighed remorsefully. "I couldn't have found a puppy, Nnnnooooooo. I just had to find a prudish little boy who has to be the biggest killjoy on the face of the earth!"

"Get over it."

Jagaa suddenly pushed up off the ground picking Naruto up with him. With a sharp twist Jagaa flipped over and sat up in while still in the air at the same time he pulled his right foot back under him and slammed his palms into Naruto's chest. Naruto was shot backwards and rolled across the floor until he came to an abrupt stop by smashing into the wall.

"Ow." Naruto groaned and rubbed his head. "That was a cheap shot."

Jagaa was still sitting on his bent right leg with his left leg and both arms still extended in front of him. With a graceful ease, he pushed up with his one foot on the floor and pulled his other leg back and so he was standing again, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Get over it."

Naruto growled.

Iruka and the other students could only stare with open mouths at the pair before them.

"You two certainly know how to make an entrance." The Hokage laughed at the blonde duo.

The Hokage's voice served to snap Iruka out of his stunned stupor and he cleared his throat loudly to get the classes attention. "Yes, well, it seems we have a new student in our midst today." He took a quick glance at the Hokage for confirmation. At the old mans nod, he turned back to Naruto. "Would you care to introduce yourself to the class?" Iruka said to the still floored boy.

Naruto made a miraculous recovery and jumped into the front of the class room. "Hey, everyone, the names Uzumaki Naruto! I'm eleven years old, and the future Hokage of Konoha! Nice to meet you all!"

Jagaa groaned and rubbed his temples. "I thought I broke you out of the habit of telling everyone you were gonna be the Hokage every time you introduced yourself when we were in Kumo?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Heheh, I guess I'm just exited to be home." He said with a slight flush of his cheeks. The action had a rather surprising reaction on the females of the class.

"KAWAII!" All the girls ,except the blonde and pink haired girls that were fighting earlier though even they looked like they were seriously fighting the urge, screamed in unison and launched themselves at the very surprised blonde. The glomping that ensued was one of legends as girls piled on top of each other in attempt to get to the boy beneath them.

A good natured chuckling suddenly came up from beneath the pile of girls and every one looked down in shock to see the aged face of the Hokage just visible. "Well, it has been a while since I was glomped by such attractive young ladies." The old man said with a smile. "But it is getting somewhat hard to breath. So would you all mind allowing this old man to get up?" The girls had to have set a new speed record in their haste to get themselves off the village's leader.

As the old man stood back up, a loud laughter filled the air and every looked over to see Naruto rolling on the ground holding his sides. "I…I can't…believe you…replaced yourself…with…the old man!" Naruto wheezed out as he laughed.

"I can't believe you replaced yourself with _me_, you little bastard!" Jagaa said heatedly from next to Kakashi. Naruto started laughing harder and Jagaa glared at him. Kakashi was using every ounce of will power he had not to join the sunny blonde. Seriously, how often does one see the most powerful man in the village get used as a replacement and then glomped? It was certainly a first for him.

Still chuckling, the aged Hokage stood back up and dusted himself off. "Well, that was interesting. However, I think it's time that we allow the class to get back underway, as well as let Naruto get acquainted with academy life." The Hokage finished and looked over at Naruto who was just starting to stand again after his fit of hysterics.

"Uh, yes, of course Hokage-sama." Iruka said hastily. "Naruto, your seat will be the open one back there." Iruka pointed to one of the open seats towards the back of the classroom."

"Ossu!" Naruto saluted and practically sprinted to his seat excitedly. He was really looking forward to what he would be learning at a real ninja academy.

"Shall we be going then?" The Hokage asked Jagaa and Kakashi.

"Just one thing before I go." Jagaa said. "I just wanted to know what sort of things Naruto will be learning in this academy." This surprised the three who he had come to the academy with, having heard his earlier statement of lack of caring.

Iruka looked at the Hokage for the okay before speaking. "Well…Monday through Thursday we do class work where we learn about things like the basics of chakra, different types of Jutsus, Kekkei Genkais and how to identify different ones, the history of Konoha and it's Hokages, ect. Then on Fridays we do practical applications such as sparring and practicing with kunai and shuriken."

"WHAT!" The shout drew everyone's attention to a very pale Naruto. "You mean four out of five days is nothing but _class work_?!"

"Um, yes?" Iruka said uncertainly.

"NNNOOOOOO!!!!" He wailed, throwing his arms into the air dramatically before smacking his head on his desk and crying waterfall like tears.

"BUAAAHAHAHAHA!" Jagaa laughed evilly earning a hateful glare from the crying boy.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY, NII-SAN!"

In the blink of an eye, Jagaa was standing beside Naruto and clapping him heartily on the back. "Of course it isn't. In fact, I can finally understand why you wanted to come here so bad. I mean really, why do _useless_ things like traveling around the world, learning new Jutsus and skills or anything else that may actually save your life in a fight." Jagaa hadn't stopped clapping Naruto on the back the entire time. "But hey, who knows, maybe the first person you fight will be so impressed that you can tell him about a bunch of buildings and a few dead guys that he'll just drop his weapons and ask you to kill him." Jagaa's grin looked like it was going to split his face, while Naruto's glare could have melted steel.

"You know I'm not dead yet." The Hokage said from the doorway.

"You're close enough." Jagaa waved dismissively. Iruka and the rest of the class gasped in shock at Jagaa's blatant disrespect of the village leader.

"Well, I'm going to do some of those useless things I just mentioned while you learn how to 'WOW' your enemies with your knowledge. Have fun Naruto." Jagaa was laughing manically as he headed for the door.

"No, wait, take me with you!" Naruto screamed and jumped after Jagaa, only to be caught in the air by a stern looking Iruka.

"Naruto! You can't skip class on your first day! That's just plain rude!"

"That's right Naruto, you shouldn't be rude to your new sensei." Jagaa said with an evil grin as he rounded the corner. "Have fun learning about dead guys."

"I'm not dead." Sarutobi muttered despondently.

"You Bastard! You evil, evil Bastard!" Naruto snarled as he struggled against Iruka's hold. "I'm gonna write letters to every one night stand you've ever had and tell them where to find you!"

Standing next to Kakashi, the Hokage was chuckling merrily at the antics of the two blondes. "It would seem things are going to become quite interesting around here now. Don't you think, Kakashi?"

Kakashi's eye curved in a smile. "I thought the same thing myself earlier, Hokage-sama."

"Let's be on our way then, shall we." The old man said as he turned away leaving Naruto, who had gone back to crying water fall tears, to become acquainted with his new class mates.

"So, how do you think Naruto will do in the academy, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked boredly.

"I suppose that all depends on what Jagaa has taught him in the last four years. Oh, speak of the devil. He seems to have been waiting for us." The old man indicated the figure leaning against the wall in front of them with a tilt of his head.

"Jagaa-san, it's good to see you're still here. I was wondering what you have been teaching Naruto in the last…" Sarutobi trailed off when he noticed the atmosphere around Jagaa was nothing like the relaxed, playful one that had surrounded him before. The seriousness and the intensity was surprisingly intimidating and fully dispelled any illusions that Jagaa was anything less than a hardened shinobi.

"Four years ago I asked a question. Now, I want the answer." He said in a cool tone. The old man sighed. He knew that this was going to happen, but he had hoped that Jagaa might wait a couple days before questioning him about why the villagers hated Naruto. Sarutobi had a strong feeling Jagaa wouldn't take it to well. Now that it had been brought up though, there could be no more delay.

"I understand." The aged Hokage said in a low tone as he walked by. "But we will have to go back to my office to discuss it. It _is_ an S class secret after all."

Jagaa nodded and fell in next to the Hokage and Kakashi in their return to the Tower.

X X X X X

Jagaa was _pissed_. No, he was beyond pissed. He was straight up _murderous_, and everybody in the Hokage tower knew it. The old Hokage was fairly sure that everybody in _Konoha_ probably knew with the amount of killing intent the young man was putting out. Sarutobi even noticed that Kakashi was looking a bit apprehensive at the pure rage radiating from Jagaa. He couldn't fault the young man though, in truth he had held similar feelings on the subject many times before but seemed to have much better restraint than the scarred person in front of him.

"So," Jagaa said dangerously, "You're telling me, that Naruto has been beaten, abused, starved, shunned, and treated like a plague by the people of this village…for being the one that has saved their lives everyday for the last eleven years by being made a sacrifice to contain the Kyuubi? Something he had _no_ say in, considering he was a fucking _baby_ when it happened?"

Sarutobi almost didn't want to answer out of fear of what Jagaa may try to do, but was _almost_ certain that he and Kakashi could restrain the pissed off young man if they had to. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"I see." Jagaa's killing intent intensified for just a moment before Jagaa started taking long deep breaths and it slowly began fading away. Once it was completely gone, he made a long sigh. "I'll never understand why Naruto wants to protect this village full of idiots." Jagaa said while shaking his head in confusion.

Sarutobi smiled fondly. "That's just the way he is." He was more than a little relieved that Jagaa had calmed his rage for Naruto's sake.

Kakashi cleared his throat lightly, catching both the Hokage's and Jagaa's attention. "Well, Hokage-sama, since it seems Jagaa won't be going on a killing spree, now might be a good time to ask him about what Naruto has learned in the last four years."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me of that, Kakashi." Nodded before turning to Jagaa, "Would you please tell us just what sort of things you have taught Naruto during his time with you?"

Jagaa shrugged his okay before rubbing his chin in thought. "Well…the first half a year or so was focused mainly on developing his ability to use chakra. I found out early on that the brat had a ridiculous chakra capacity for someone his age, and over the years it has only been increasing. At a rough guess, I would say he has at least double the capacity of most seasoned Jounin, and with the rate it seems to be increasing, it could be nearly triple by the time he graduates from the academy in a year."

"Hmm," Sarutobi hummed thoughtfully with his pipe in his mouth. "This is probably due to having the Kyuubi no Kitsune sealed within him. It was bound to have some sort of effect on him."

"It makes sense, I guess." Jagaa continued. "However, whether it is due to the Kyuubi again, like you said, or if it's the size of his chakra capacity its self, Naruto's control just plain sucks."

"How so?" Kakashi asked.

"He can't do small jutsus, they just won't work. It used to be that in an attempt to make a single _Bunshin_ Naruto would put out enough chakra to make at least ten _Mizu Bunshin_. He simply couldn't tone it down. Over the years I have had him do every chakra control exercise I can think of. From tree and water walking, to keeping a stick standing straight up on top of your head and a rock balanced on top of it through chakra. It has helped, but only to the point that he can cut it down to about three _Mizu Bunshins_. However, due to the finer control required to keep the insubstantial clones together, they still always fail. In the end I had to upgrade to teaching how to do the _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_ and that turned out just fine."

"I take it that Naruto is not very good at Genjutsu, then?" Sarutobi asked.

"Pfft, ever try to teach a penguin how to fly? Because I'm pretty sure you would have better luck with that than trying to teach Naruto Genjutsu."

The old man chuckled at Jagaa's statement before continuing on. "So we have established that he has high chakra, low control, and knows _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_. What other techniques have you taught him?"

Jagaa started stroking his chin again as he thought. "Hmm, let's see…Well other than the _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_ I haven't taught him anything much more than the basics. You know, _Henge_, _Kawarimi_, _Katon: Goukakyuu_, and the _Doton: Doryuheki_ (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall)."

"Uhm, those last two aren't part of the basics. Only the _Henge_ and _Kawarimi_ are, as well as the _Bunshin_ in normal cases." Kakashi pointed out.

Jagaa's eye brows rose over his glasses in surprise. "So you teach your students Jutsu to deceive, dodge, and distract, but not to attack or defend?" He asked. "Sounds like half assed teaching to me."

Kakashi was about to protest but stopped short and put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "You know, you may have a point. It would make sense to teach them an attack and defensive jutsu. The problem is that most genin don't have enough chakra to do them before they graduate."

"So have them doing chakra enhancing exercises in the academy instead of learning about a bunch of dead guys." Jagaa said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'_I'm not dead_.' Sarutobi thought mournfully before he cleared his throat. "I don't think this is the time to be discussing the flaws we may have in our training system at the academy. Right now we are talking about what _Naruto_ has learned."

"Like I said, besides those five, I haven't really taught him any Jutsu. I'm a firm believer in learning through experience, so almost all of our training sessions are sparing and physical conditioning. Because of this, his ability to use surprise, terrain, and strategy in battle is exceptional. He actually has a real knack for it. He's surprised me on several occasions with some impressive plan he pulled out of his ass. So if you ever plan to fight him, I would highly recommend that you expect the unexpected."

"Hmm, I actually prefer the term 'Look underneath the underneath'." Kakashi said with a smile.

"That's catchy. I may have to adopt that."

"We are getting off topic again." The Hokage said exasperatedly. "So other than those five techniques and what he's learned of tactics through sparring, you really haven't taught him all that much then?"

"Not _personally_, no, but who knows what he may have learned from some of the _other _people we met on our travels." Jagaa shrugged.

Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, 'who knows'? You were his sensei, weren't you keeping track of everything he was learning?"

"Nope." Both Sarutobi and Kakashi sweat dropped. "In fact, I told him straight out not to tell me any techniques he's learned outside of what I've taught him."

"Why would you do that?" Kakashi asked before the old man.

Jagaa tilted his head at Kakashi in a way that the masked Jounin was almost sure was saying 'Duh'. "For this exact reason. I can't tell what I don't know, and everyone knows that surprise is a Shinobi's greatest weapon. Just to be on the safe side, I also told him that he wasn't allowed to use any other techniques he's learned against me, or anyone other than the one who taught it to him, in a spar until after he became a Genin. I did that for two reasons. One, it keeps his full abilities hidden from the public, and two, it ensures that he doesn't become so dependent on his large and powerful attacks that he forgets the importance of the basics like so many others do once they learn how to level the land in a single attack."

Sarutobi could honestly find no fault in the scarred young mans logic. He was well aware that keeping your true abilities secret until a critical time could be the difference between life and death. He also knew first hand what could happen to a powerful shinobi when they relied too much on powerful attacks. He had defeated more than a few by simply letting them waist their chakra on large flashy moves while he used simpler Jutsus or straight taijutsu to conserve his own. "I do understand your motives, Jagaa-san. Still, I am somewhat concerned for what Naruto may have learned without your knowledge."

"Don't worry, I pretty sure that none of the people we met would have taught him anything…" Jagaa trailed off and grimaced a little. "Well, I'm pretty sure _most_ of them wouldn't have taught him anything dangerous."

Now Sarutobi felt a small amount of annoyance rising. "Jagaa-san…"

"Oh don't worry. I'm sure he'll be just fine." Jagaa said with a dismissive wave.

The old man sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. If Naruto was rowdy and disrespectful _before_ leaving Konoha, it could only have doubled under _this_ particular role model. Sarutobi had a feeling he should start fearing for his sanity in the days to come.

"Oh yeah, I should probably mention a couple more things." Jagaa said. "The first, being to watch out for Naruto's _original_ technique that he developed. It is by far one of the most devastating things I've ever encountered. I've actually witnessed it lay low at least thirty men at one time before."

Both Sarutobi and Kakashi's eyes widened in disbelief. "What sort of technique did he create?" The old man asked in a worried voice.

"Hmm, I could tell you, but I think it'd be more entert…uh, informative, for you to see it first hand." Jagaa said seriously.

"Hmm, you may have a point." Sarutobi said thoughtfully. He heard something sounding like a snort and looked up to see Jagaa covering his mouth.

"Excuse me." Jagaa said calmly and Sarutobi nodded. At least the young man was polite enough to cover his sneezes.

"So, what was the other thing you were going to tell us about?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh yeah, it's probably not a big deal, but I've been honing Naruto's instincts at sensing danger while he's sleeping and he's gotten pretty good at sensing incoming attacks. Now I just need to teach him proportional force for countering instead of overdoing it like he does."

"What do you mean by 'overdoing' it?" Sarutobi asked with a small frown.

"Well…"

X X X X X

Iruka looked in shock at the eraser that was currently impaled by two kunai and surrounded by six more all stuck into the black board behind where he had been standing less than a second ago. With wide eyes he looked with the rest of the class at the golden-blonde haired boy who had been sleeping in class before Iruka threw the eraser to awaken him.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as the entire class stared at him in shock. "Uh, heh heh, oops."

**A/N: **Well there it is. Hope you like it. Next chapter we will be getting in to Naruto's life at the academy and how he interacts with all his classmates. Ja ne.


	3. Meeting New People

How long had it been since he'd tasted freedom

**AN:** HOLLY CRAP! Do chapters really get that many reviews at once? This story is murdering my first one on stats. I guess it helps when you've gotten some experience under your belt after all. Thank you all for the support. I'll do my best not to disappoint. (Bows low in gratitude)

Of course I say that now, but I don't really think this chap came out as good as the last. Oh well, it's needed for the story to progress so you'll have to deal with it if it isn't. (Blows a raspberry)

You'll also have to give me a break on the speed of my updates, I'm not in a writing or internet friendly environment at the moment. Hell, I'm lucky to even have access to the internet or my laptop.

So now that that's out of the way. On with the show.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I never have. I never will. Now if you're finished crushing my heart with reality, start reading the damn chapter.

**Chapter 3: **Meeting new people

How long had it been since he'd tasted freedom? Months? Years? An eternity? He didn't know anymore.

He wanted to feel the sun on his skin and the wind in his hair. He wanted to run through the fields and smell the flowers that grew there.

He wanted his freedom.

'_Soon._' He thought. It was the only thing keeping him alive. The only thing he could hold on to in this miserable hell he had been sentenced to.

He saw his jailor stand from his place of watch and look across him and the others locked inside this hellish prison. It was time. After enduring the torture for so long, he would finally feel his first taste of salvation again.

"Okay everyone, it's time for lunch."

"YATTA! FREEDOM!" Naruto yelled in joy from the back of class as tears of happiness coursed down his cheeks.

"You've only been here for three hours!" Iruka snapped at the sunny blonde only to find that said person had already made his escape by diving through an open window.

In an instant Iruka was at the same window yelling. "DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO DITCH!" If Naruto heard him, he gave no indication as he rolled around in the grass like a happy puppy.

Iruka could only sigh wearily as he watched the boy. He wasn't sure if he was going to be able to handle a full year with him

As he lay in the grass with his eyes closed enjoying the feel of the sun and wind, Naruto was having much the same thoughts. Only his were about academy life in general.

'_Kuso, why the hell did I want to go to the academy for a full year?_' He thought dejectedly. In truth he already knew why he had believed it would be a great idea. It was because when he thought of a 'Ninja Academy', he thought they would focus more on the 'Ninja' part and less on the 'Academy' part.

Just his luck that it would be the complete opposite.

The worst part was that if he were to complain to Jagaa about it, the scarred man would probably just laugh his ass off the same way he had earlier, and then rub it in Naruto's face that it had been _his_ bright idea to go in the first place.

'_Stupid Nii-san! I'll get him back for ditching me like that if it's the last thing…_' Suddenly Naruto felt his danger senses going haywire. Not the danger sense that comes from being surrounded by enemy forces. No, this was a far more sinister and deadly force than a thousand Kage level shinobi out for your blood. A terror beyond all imagining. Fangirls!

"NARUTO-KUN!!" The terrible war cry of doom rang out.

His eyes snapped open as he rolled backwards just in time to avoid two diving glomps from the front. Coming to his feet he jumped backwards to avoid another two that came from his left and right, and watched them sail in front of him like pouncing animals. His senses alerting him just in time, he ducked another attempted glomping from behind and the let the girl pass just over the top of his head. The five original attackers began refocusing on him for their next try and Naruto could sense more of them incoming. Doing the only thing one could do when faced with the horror known as fangirls, Naruto ran for dear life.

His efforts seemed to be in vain as he felt more presences moving to intercept him along with the ones coming up from behind. He was about to be trapped and he knew it. Looking around desperately, he saw a very large tree with no branches for at least twenty feet up the base. Taking a gamble that the girls had yet to learned tree walking, Naruto raced up the base to one of the large lower branches where he perched and looked down like a frightened cat as a horde of girls encircled the trunk. It was then Naruto realized he may have made a mistake, as he saw the girls eyes grow even more impressed and admiring at the display of skill. He almost wanted to cry at his stupidity when they started calling up to him.

"Naruto-kun, come eat with me!"

"No, Naruto-kun, eat with me!"

"Naruto-kun is going to eat with me!"

"Like hell he is! Naruto-kun is eating with me!"

Naruto looked around the tree in a panic. The girls were starting to get a dangerous gleam in their eyes and he was sure it was only a matter of time before they tried to chop the tree down to get to him. To bad he had picked the one tree with nothing within jumping distance and any attempt to escape would force him to go back to the ground and into the clutches of the frightening females.

Just as he felt all hope was lost, the yells of the girls below silenced and they all turned to look behind them. Curious as to what had diverted their attention Naruto looked the same way and saw another large group of females that held all the signs of being fangirls following behind a raven haired boy like lost puppies. At the front of this new group were the blonde and pink haired girls that had been fighting when Naruto came into class earlier that day.

Naruto watched warily as the raven haired boy leading the group walked casually up to his current refuge with his hands in his pockets and looked up at Naruto with sharp, piercing eyes. "Your name is Uzumaki, correct?" His voice was low and cool, Naruto noticed idly that the both the girls behind the boy and the ones who had been chasing Naruto himself looked like they were about to swoon just from the sound of it.

"Yeah, and who are you?" Naruto asked with a defensive edge in his voice.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I wish to speak with you."

Naruto was about to point out that they were, in fact, already talking to each other, but knew that the other boy was essentially telling him to come out of the tree. Naruto wasn't sure if that was such a great idea considering they were completely surrounded by hormone driven females, but decided to risk it since the girls had quieted simply from the other boy's presence and were unlikely to attack. Besides, he could always run back up the tree…hopefully.

Still being cautious of a possible ambush, Naruto slowly walked down the trunk of the tree to the ground. As he did he noticed the black haired boy's eyes narrow on him. Naruto was startled to see the amount of anger and resentment that seemed to rise behind them. When he got to the ground and saw for sure that the girls were indeed not attacking he walked up to the Uchiha. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Sasuke's eyes were still narrow as he sized Naruto up. "I want to fight you."

Naruto tilted his head and squinted his eyes at the Uchiha. "Why?"

"I want to test my strength against yours. Will you fight me or not?" Sasuke's voice spoke of nothing but cool confidence. His eyes however, were burning with a fierceness Naruto was not expecting. However, if the look was meant to be intimidating, it failed miserably as Naruto felt his battle lust rising.

"Sure, why not." Naruto said with a surprisingly fierce grin. "Besides, Nii-san would kick my ass around Konoha if he found out I backed down from a fight." Sasuke smirked wider at Naruto's words and took a few steps back to get some distance.

The crowd that had originally been filled with only girls had also been quickly filling up with the boys of the class who were eager to see the new guy who seemed to be pretty strong fight with the number one in the class. When they heard Naruto's agreement the crowed backed up considerably to give the two boys a large amount of space to fight on.

The two combatants stared at each other across the distance between them, each one trying to find a weakness in the other. A gust of wind blew through area, stirring up dust and leaves before letting them fall one by one back to the earth. Just as the final leaf touched the ground, the two boys attacked.

The space between them was filled with Kunai and Shuriken that crashed into each other, knocking each other out of the way. As the ring of steel on steel filled the air the two boys charged directly into the falling projectiles and attacked each other head on.

Sasuke's punch was blocked by Naruto's forearm even as Sasuke blocked Naruto's kick with his own. Pulling his leg back Naruto dropped low and swept at Sasuke's feet but Sasuke back flipped high into the air and threw several more shuriken. Naruto blocked them all with a kunai he quickly pulled out before throwing the weapon at Sasuke as he landed. Sasuke twisted his body so that the kunai just passed his chest and sped at Naruto again even as the blonde charged the raven haired boy himself.

The boy's fists collided with each other and each strove to over power the other. Sasuke quickly realized that Naruto's brute strength was greater than his own when his arm was being forced back by the blonde and dropped his fist causing Naruto to be caught off balance and stumble forward. Stepping to the side and bringing his elbow around, Sasuke aimed for the back of the blondes head. Naruto realized Sasuke's goal and instead of trying to stand again, dove forward away from the blow and rolled back to his feet facing Sasuke again. Leaping forward Naruto struck at Sasuke's face, but Sasuke once again jumped backwards into the air to avoid it. This time instead of throwing shuriken Sasuke's hands started flashing through seals. Naruto's eyes widened when he recognized the sequence and quickly started forming his own seals.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!" Sasuke yelled out before exhaling a large fireball from his mouth at Naruto.

"**Doton: Doryuheki no Justu**!" Naruto shouted and slammed his palms onto the ground creating a large wall of earth in front of him.

Fire met earth and the air filled with the sound of the flames burning whatever vegetation had been in the wall before fizzling out. Sasuke landed and dashed at the wall with several kunai in hand. Just as he expected, Naruto came leaping over the top of the wall and Sasuke launched his kunai at the blonde. Stuck in the air, Naruto was unable to dodge and crossed his arms in front of him as the sharp projectiles buried themselves in his body. Sasuke smirked at his victory until something strange happened. The Naruto in the air turned into a body of water and fell out of the air like a dumped bucket.

"What in the…" Sasuke started before a sound in front of him caught his attention. Looking down he was just in time to see Naruto come smashing through the very wall he had created with his arm cocked back. Sasuke had no time to react before the whiskered boy's fist shot forward and collided with his face, sending Sasuke flying backwards and rolling along the ground.

Coming back to his feet in a slight daze, Sasuke saw Naruto rushing at him again and shook his head to clear it before rushing forward himself. Just as the two were about to clash again, there was a burst of smoke and each boy found them selves being forcefully restrained.

"What the HELL do you two think you're doing?" Iruka yelled at the pair of boys as he held Naruto with his left arm around Naruto's neck and holding Naruto's right arm with his own.

"Now now, Iruka." The one restraining Sasuke, a man with almost shoulder length silver hair said with a good natured smile. "They are young boys after all. It's only natural they'd want to test each other."

"That may be true, Mizuki, but to fight unrestricted like that without anybody supervising is just plain reckless. They could have killed each other the way they were fighting."

"Ahh, don't worry, Iruka-sensei." Naruto said looking back over his shoulder with a foxy grin. "I was going easy on him."

Sasuke growled at the blonde. "Don't think because you got in one lucky shot that you are better than me. You were just fortunate you surprised me."

Naruto smirked back while still in Iruka's hold. "Heh, surprise is a shinobi's greatest weapon, Teme. Don't forget, if I had decided to use a kunai instead of my fist you wouldn't be around to bitch about it would you?"

Sasuke's face grew red from anger and embarrassment. The blonde was right. If Naruto had wanted to kill him, there would have been no way for Sasuke to have stopped him in that moment. The fact that he had also made a fool out of himself by yelling his thoughts before thinking the events completely through didn't help his mood either.

"Both of you are getting detention for this!" Iruka yelled at the pair, making Naruto have to rub his ears due to the proximity of the shout.

"Oh come now, Iruka. Don't you think that's a little harsh? Naruto _is_ new to the academy and has spent four years training outside of Konoha. He probably didn't realize that he wasn't supposed to spar with somebody without supervision." Mizuki smiled at Naruto in a friendly way. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head with his now free right hand and smiling hesitantly back at Mizuki. Naruto was surprised, and more than a little grateful, that somebody was sticking up for him, but something didn't seem quite right. He couldn't really place it, but something definitely felt…off, with the way Mizuki seemed to be trying to help him. Maybe he'd just been around Jagaa to long.

Iruka sighed and looked down at Naruto. "I suppose you have a point. Okay, Naruto, you will be spared detention this time, but this is your only warning. If I catch you fighting like that again without a proper supervisor I will not be so lenient. Understood?" Naruto nodded and Iruka shifted his gaze to Sasuke. "You however are fully aware of the rules of this academy and will not be getting off so easy. Today you will be staying after class and cleaning all the erasers in the academy."

Sasuke actually managed to look shocked and Naruto was doing everything in his power to keep from laughing and possibly having his release voided.

"All right, shows over!" Iruka declared loudly with a clap of his hands. "Everyone clear out before I decide to cut your lunch period short." He hadn't even finished the sentence when the sounds of frantic escape filled the air.

'_It's amazing how fast children move when properly motivated._' Iruka thought as he watched the dust settling where the crowd had been a few seconds before.

However, there was one raven haired boy that made no move to escape the teacher's wrath, and instead was glaring in the direction a certain blonde haired, blue eyed boy had ran. He would admit that Naruto was stronger than he had expected, but it would make no difference. He would surpass him and prove his own strength.

'_Uzumaki Naruto. You are nothing more than another stepping stone on my path to power, in order to kill that man._'

X X X X X

Naruto rounded the corner of the school and flattened himself to the wall, listening for the sounds of any possible pursuit. The main worry being the ever fearsome fangirls. After some time, Naruto let out a relieved sigh and looked around to see where his mad dash had landed him.

He found himself in an open area that, despite the fact it was currently empty, showed signs of being used often. About fifty feet from where he stood was a lone tree with a single red wooden swing hanging from its lower branches.

Curiously, Naruto moved over to the swing and examined it before putting his leg through the old ropes and sitting sideways on the wooden platform. As soon as he was seated a small smile that was both sad and nostalgic came to his lips.

He remembered the times before he left Konoha when he would sit just like he was now on a swing at the park, sadly watching the other children laughing and playing. He had wanted so badly to join them, but every time he tried the parents of the children would yell at him to stay away from their children. Calling him monster and demon and even throwing rocks or anything else on hand at him.

Of course, the children saw this and began following their parents lead, and soon enough Naruto was effectively and completely ostracized from his young peers. In the seven years of life he had in Konoha before he left, Naruto had not once had even a single friend.

Naruto shook his head to clear his rapidly descending thoughts. It was always the same. No matter how long he had been gone, every time he did something that reminded him of his early life, he would once again feel all the sadness and loneliness that had plagued him before he left Konoha, and before he met Jagaa.

'_Maybe Nii-san was right._' Naruto thought gloomily. '_Maybe it was too soon to come back._' Even after four years of being happy and traveling the world, he still couldn't get past the years before them. He was starting to wonder if he ever would.

"Hey, new kid!" Someone yelled cutting into Naruto's thoughts. "Uzumaki!" Looking up to where the voice was coming from, Naruto saw a boy with short brown hair wearing with strange slit like pupils but no irises, and wearing a grey hooded jacket walking towards him and waving his arm and grinning widely showing slightly elongated canines. Stranger still was that the boy had a little white dog sitting on top of his head barking happily as well.

Naruto got off the swing and somewhat cautiously waited for the other boy to get closer. Normally he wouldn't have been so guarded, but with his memories of life in Konoha before having just come back full force it was hard not to be a bit wary. His caution turned out to be completely unneeded though when the boy walked up beside him and clapped him heartily on the back, surprising the blonde.

"Man, that was freaking awesome!" The boy laughed. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to see somebody show that stuck up prick that he's not some kind of gift from Kami? The look on his face when you slugged him was freaking priceless!" The boy laughed again accompanied by the happy barks of the dog on his head.

Naruto scratched his head in a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, smiling lightly. "Well, I'm glad somebody liked it, but somehow I doubt his fangirls are gonna let me off to easy."

"You gotta be kidding! All his fangirls will probably be yours after today." The boy laughed again. "Which means if I start hanging around you, the girls might start coming after _me_ in an attempt to get closer to _you_." The boy put on a rather lecherous grin for an eleven year old, earning a loud laugh from Naruto.

"So you're just planning to use me as a way to pick up girls. I think I'm offended." Naruto said with mock hurt in his voice. The other boy just grinned.

"Yep. Oh and there's also the fact that I might get to see the teme get embarrassed again if I hang around you." The boy held out his hand. "The names Inuzuka Kiba. The little guy on my head is Akamaru, and as of today were your new best friends."

Naruto laughed again as he took Kiba's hand, already liking the other boy. "Uzumaki Naruto, and I have to say, this isn't exactly how I was expecting to make my first friend here."

The two boys shared another laugh as the bell marking the end of lunch rang.

"Race ya back." Kiba yelled and dashed off in the direction of the classroom. Naruto sprinted after him, sparing just enough time to look back at the lone swing and smile.

Maybe coming back was a good idea after all.

X X X X X

"School is so troublesome." One Nara Shikamaru said with a wide yawn.

"I don't know about troublesome, but it's boring as hell." Naruto answered with his own yawn.

"You guy's want some food? It will help keep your energy up." A plump boy known as Akimichi Chouji asked holding out a bag of potato chips. Both Naruto and Shikamaru declined, but Kiba immediately threw his hand forward. "Hell yeah, fill me up." With a kind smile, Chouji poured a fair amount of chips into the Inuzuka's hand before going back to munching on the chips himself.

Naruto looked at each of the three boys with something akin to wonder, almost afraid that he would blink and that they would disappear. After Kiba had declared himself Naruto's new friend and raced him back, he had introduced the blonde to the other two, explaining that they new each other due to numerous detentions together because of their inability to focus in class. Needless to say, Naruto was fitting in perfectly.

It was astounding to him. In less than a day, Naruto had made three friends. Well, in actuality they were really only acquaintances right now, but he had a lot of hope for the future. After all, hope for the future was the only thing that had kept him going for most of his life.

"So," Kiba said, pulling Naruto from his thoughts. "You gonna tell us why you gave up a life of freedom and traveling the world to come to our little piece of hell?" Yes, Kiba had a rather low opinion of school.

Naruto frowned. "I was asking myself the same thing earlier." Kiba grinned knowingly.

"What was it like while you were traveling?" Chouji asked through a mouthful of chips.

Naruto's frown gave way to a look of longing. "It was great. I got to see so many things, go so many places, meet so many people, and learn a lot. I loved every minute of it." Naruto look of longing changed into a slight grimace. "Well…maybe not _every_ minute. Training under Nii-san can be a little…dangerous…after all."

Kiba's curiosity was instantly roused. "What do you mean by dangerous?"

Naruto's grimace became more pronounced. "Let me put it this way. One of the _milder_ things he did was string me upside down from a tree, hand me a kunai to block with, and start throwing shuriken at me. His reasoning, at least what he told me, was that if I could block a projectile while I was upside down with the blood rushing to my head, then blocking them normally should be easy. Personally, I think he just enjoys it torturing people. He can be a little sadistic at times."

Shikamaru looked bit unnerved. "Your brother sounds like a troublesome person."

"You're telling me."

"Hey you four, shut up and pay attention!" Iruka yelled from the front of the class.

Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba all mumbled but started to obey. Naruto though, raised his hand with a large, impudent smile spreading over his face.

"Iruka-sensei, if I don't talk to somebody I'm gonna end up falling asleep again you know."

Iruka's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell Naruto was just trying to test him, but he also knew that if he didn't do some thing to stop him, Naruto really _would_ go to sleep. If for no other reason that to alleviate the risk that came from waking the blonde up Iruka had to prevent that. The question was 'How'.

As Iruka pondered, he heard several low feminine giggles and looked up to see several girls looking at Naruto with lust (or whatever it is that eleven year old girls feel for an equally pre pubescent boy) and amusement, and Iruka was struck with a positively brilliant (evil) idea. Clearing his throat to get the class's attention, specifically Naruto's, the scarred Chunnin gave Naruto a smile that instantly un-nerved the whisker marked boy.

"You know, I'm glad you brought that up, Naruto. It wouldn't due to have you falling asleep in class and harming your learning experience now would it." Iruka's grin grew wider. "That's why I'm going to be asking the lovely young women in the class to help you stay awake."

Naruto paled. "W-w-what do you mean?"

Iruka's overly friendly smiled turned malicious. Pulling out a sheet of paper, he quickly started writing. Once finished, Iruka pulled out a kunai and sliced the paper up and threw the pieces into a little box he pulled out of a drawer in his desk.

Iruka once again looked up to the class. "Now girls, I have put each of your names in this box. Since there are four seats to a row, I will pull three names out of the box each day. For those of you whose names are picked that day, it will be your job to keep our new classmate, Naruto, from falling asleep." Naruto was suddenly struck by the sensation that he had just been put in the guillotine and the blade was about to fall. He was proven right by Iruka's finish.

"By _any_ means you deem fit."

Naruto stared at the smirking teacher in horror. "Y-you can't be serious." He choked out.

"I'm just doing everything I can to help you, Naruto. We wouldn't want your education to suffer because you couldn't stay awake, now would we?" Naruto gaped at the nose scarred man before slowly looking around the room. All around him the girls were looking at him with an air of eagerness, some with a hungry look in their eyes, and some that seemed a little vengeful. Naruto could only assume the latter were some of the more _devout_ Sasuke fans. The sad part was that he was actually hoping for the ones cracking their knuckles to be picked.

"Well now, let's start today's drawing." Iruka announced grandly and put his hand in the box.

Naruto swallowed hard. This was not going to be good.

X X X X X

'_I guess this isn't so bad._' Naruto thought as he looked left and right. On his left was the blonde haired girl who had been fighting when Naruto had first entered the classroom, Yamanaka Ino, if he heard the name right. Coincidentally enough, on _her_ left, was the pink haired girl she had been fighting with, Haruno Sakura. He also remembered that it had been these two who were at the forefront of the mass of girls that had followed Sasuke. Which would probably explain why they were cracking their knuckles with such a malicious gleam in their eyes.

On his right was a girl that Naruto hadn't really noticed before. She was kind of cute, with short blue black hair, large pupil-less lavender eyes, and soft pale skin. However, the way she kept smirking at him with a curious, yet superior look in her eyes as she leaned her head on her right hand was really starting to bug him. Oh well, at least she seemed content just to look, whereas he knew his other two watchers were just itching for him to start nodding off so they could employ their, most likely painful, plans to keep him awake.

Deciding to try to make the best of the situation Naruto attempted some small talk after glancing left at Sakura and Ino. "So, I'm guessing you two like the Teme, huh?" He instantly knew that was the wrong thing to say when he had to duck two swipes to the back of his head.

"Don't you dare insult Sasuke-kun!" The both growled at him.

"I'll take that as a 'Yes'." Naruto muttered, glancing warily at the two girls for any signs of further attacks.

"Oh, they just don't like him, they _love_ him." Hinata finally spoke with a mocking voice. "It's sickening the way they fall all over themselves just to get a passing glance from the Uchiha."

"Shut up, Hyuuga!" Ino snapped at the pale eyed girl.

"Oh, and who's going to make me, Yamanaka? You?" Hinata's smirk turned dangerous. "You're welcome to try."

Ino growled but didn't say anything else and Hinata smirked a little wider. "All bark and no bite, eh Yamanaka? I guess it can't be helped. Your skills aren't that much better than Haruno's after all." Both Ino and Sakura glared at the Hyuuga girl who simply smirked back confidently.

Between the three girls, Naruto was trying to decide if he should make a run for it to avoid the ensuing cat fight or grab a bag of popcorn and sit back to watch the show. He once again attributed that second thought to his time with Jagaa.

In the end he opted for option three, intervene through subject change.

"So, what does it take to graduate from the academy? Kami knows I don't want to stay here any longer than I absolutely have to."

With a final glare at Hinata, both Sakura and Ino 'Hmphed' and looked away, ignoring him.

"…Okay, uh, Hinata-chan, would you tell me?"

"Awfully familiar considering this is our first time meeting, don't you think?" Naruto grimaced and tried to apologize but was cut off when Hinata raised her hand in front of her. "But I guess I can forgive you. After all, you did improve my day considerably when you embarrassed the Uchiha." This time Hinata gave Naruto an actual smile instead of a smirk and Naruto decided that he would probably be able to get along pretty well with this girl.

"Why thank you Hinata-chan. It's always nice to know that I was able to brighten someone's day." Hinata laughed while Ino and Sakura growled.

"So anyway, what _does_ it take to graduate?" Naruto asked again, leaning in a little.

Hinata shrugged. "Well, according to Neji-niisan, the only requirements to passing was that you had to score at least sixty percent or better on the written exam, show at least average proficiency with kunai and shuriken, and perform one of the three basic jutsu's that will be randomly selected on the day of the test."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Really, that's it." Hinata nodded. "This is gonna be easy then. Well, the written test will be annoying, but I'm pretty sure I can get at least sixty percent without _too_ much trouble. The rest of it will be a piece of cake though. This is great!"

Hinata just laughed again and tilted her head in the direction of the board. "It's nice to see you're so confident, but you might want to start paying more attention in class if you really want to hit the sixty percent mark."

Naruto grinned sheepishly but turned his attention to Iruka with more enthusiasm. '_Becoming a Genin is going to be a cinch. I can't wait to tell Nii-san._' He thought happily before focusing on the lesson.

X X X X X

"Why are you following me around again?" Jagaa asked in annoyance to the sliver haired man with his nose in a little orange book as the two of them walked through the streets of Konoha. The man had been following him relentlessly since he left the Hokage tower and it was starting to annoy him. It didn't help that as they had been walking, Jagaa had been noticing some of the curious and even admiring looks he was getting from both civilians and Shinobi alike. The reason this bother him was because he had started wondering how much those looks would change as soon as it got around that he was more or less Naruto's guardian. He didn't tell Kakashi this, but Jagaa was hoping that someone would be dumb enough to attack him just so that he could make an example of them.

A very _painful_ example.

"All foreign ninja while within Konoha, out side of the Chuunin exams and Diplomatic missions, must be escorted by a Ninja of equal or greater strength for the duration of their stay." Kakashi stated matter-of-factly without looking away from the book.

"One, that's bullshit. Two, I'm not foreign, I'm _freelance_. There's a difference."

Kakashi smiled. "Well you could always take Hokage-sama up on his offer and become a Konoha Shinobi. Then you wouldn't have me following you around any more."

"Why would I want to be tied down to one village?" Jagaa asked. "I enjoy the freedom that comes from being a wandering ninja. You village ninja can't even leave without being labeled a Missing Nin and having Hunter Nin sent after you. What in the hell would make you think I want any part of that?"

"I believe you said that to Hokage-sama as well, and if I remember right, he was willing to make a few concessions for you so you would keep a fair deal of your freedom."

"I still don't like the idea. Besides, why the hell do you want me to sign up anyway? Konoha's supposed to be the strongest of the hidden villages. I'm sure that you have plenty of Ninja stronger than me running around."

"Not many who can replace themselves with the Hokage, _after_ being used as a replacement themselves." Kakashi said pointedly.

Jagaa just shrugged. "So the old man wanted to play with the kids and let me do the replacement. What's the big deal?"

Kakashi looked up from his book for the first time, his visible eye narrowing slightly. "For someone who keeps calling him a half dead geezer, you are quick to say that Hokage-sama _allowed_ you to replace with him."

"Just because he _looks_ ready to drop dead any day, doesn't mean I can't recognize his strength. I'm fairly sure that he could hand my ass to me in about a minute flat if we really fought."

"Then why are you so disrespectful to him if you know he's stronger than you?" Kakashi asked pointedly.

"I've never respected anybody." Jagaa smirked. "Besides, it's fun."

Kakashi sweat dropped.

"By the way Kakashi, why do they have _you_ guarding me? The old guy can't think I'm _that_ big a threat, can he?"

"No, not really. However it _is_ a rule of the village that you need to be escorted by some one at least as strong as you are, usually judged by rank, and from our encounter four years ago I can vouch that you deserve nothing less than a Jounin." Kakashi smiled.

"Uh, thanks I guess?"

Kakashi's smile grew behind his mask. "Oh don't thank me just yet, since Hokage-sama also told me to bug you until you agreed to become a Konoha Jounin."

Jagaa smacked his forehead and Kakashi heard a mumble that sounded like 'I knew it'.

"Sooooo, will you become a Jounin?"

"Bite me, Kakashi."

"Come one, it wouldn't be that bad would it?"

"I said shove it."

"Ah come on, become a Jounin."

Jagaa snapped his head over to the silver haired man. "Tell you what, Kakashi. I'll become a Jounin for Konoha when Naruto becomes…"

"Hey, Nii-san!" An excited Naruto shouted behind him after having dashed from school to tell Jagaa the good news. "It's gonna be so easy to become a Genin!"

"…A Genin." Jagaa finished, distracted by Naruto's shout. "Wait, what? No, I meant to say the Hok…" It was too late as Kakashi was already shaking his hand vigorously.

"Deal! You'll become a Jounin when Naruto becomes Genin. I'm sure Hokage-sama will find that to be perfectly acceptable." Kakashi said with his usual smile.

"N-no…That wasn't…." Jagaa tried again but Kakashi cut him off.

"Well I'm going to go tell Hokage-sama the good news. He'll be very happy to hear that you agreed so quickly. Ja ne." With a swirl of wind and dust, Kakashi _Shunshined_ away.

Jagaa stood rooted to the spot, staring at where Kakashi had just been standing until a _certain _person's voice reached him.

"Hey, Nii-san, what's wrong?" Naruto's answer was a huge wave of killing intent that rippled out from the scarred man, focused on Naruto himself. Jagaa's head turned like an un-oiled machine to look at the young blonde, and Naruto could swear he saw a red glow coming through Jagaa's dark sunglasses.

"Uh, Nii-san?" Naruto asked, stepping back hesitantly. "Sensei? Nii-san-sensei, heheh?"

"**NaaaaRuuuuTooooo**!" Jagaa growled demonically.

"AHHHH!" With his fearful cry Naruto tried to run away, but instantly fell to the ground when Jagaa grabbed him around an ankle. "Where are you going Naruto?" Jagaa's voice had gone from demonic to extremely friendly, and it scared the shit out of Naruto. "It's time for you to do some _training_." Naruto's eyes widened in terror at the emphasis on 'training'.

For the second time that day, citizens of Konoha were treated to an extremely strange sight as Jagaa drug Naruto through the streets as the boy clawed at the earth in his attempts to escape while screaming like a girl.

"WHAT DID I DO!? WHAT DID I DOOOOOOOO!?"

**A/N:** Well there you have it. Not sure if it's as good as the last chap, but like I said from the beginning, I'm kind of writing chapter by chapter right now with only a vague idea of where this fics gonna go. That being said, that's why Hinata's personality is how it is now. My muse bashed me upside the head with a couple of ideas, and this was one of them. You'll see why later. I was also hit with the pairing for Jagaa along with the team compilations. I'm not telling you those though because it would ruin the surprise.

Well that's it for now. I can't guarantee a timeline on the next chap, but they are always up as soon as I can get them up. Just don't expect rapid updates and then you won't be disappointed. Ja ne.


	4. Rewards of Violence

**A/N:** Well, here ya go. I told you all I'd update as soon as I had was able to. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Hah, I may not own Naruto yet, but I'm in the middle of forging a deed to it. Then I'll take it to court and say that Naruto was stolen from, me and then…What? What do you mean that there are no 'Deeds' to Manga/Anime? Well that just totally ruins my plan to finally own Naruto. Damn. Okay, while I go work on another plan, you all read the chap.

**Chapter 4:** Rewards of Violence

"Will you _please_ tell me what I did?" A very dirty and bruised Naruto pleaded as he sprinted back and forth between two trees spaced one hundred meters apart. At least he was only being forced to run now. Naruto's earlier 'Training' had involved Jagaa basically using him as a punching bag…enthusiastically. His answer was a rain of kunai and shuriken that forced him to put out a burst of speed to avoid being impaled.

"If you got the breath to whine then you're not running hard enough." Jagaa growled, pulling out more projectiles and raising his arm to throw them. "So it looks like I'll have to motivate you."

"Gahh, No! I'm running! I'm running!" Naruto yelled and picked up speed considerably. Jagaa put his arm back down, but kept the weapons in hand as a warning to Naruto what would happen if he slowed down again.

"Well, it would seem that Kakashi was telling me the truth about your quick agreement." An aged voice said from behind Jagaa.

Jagaa growled. "Yeah, and I'd like to thank you _soooo_ much for the unpleasant turn my life is about to take."

"Oh, come now, Jagaa-kun. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think." Sarutobi said easily as he came up beside Jagaa. "You might even grow to like it here."

"All right, Naruto, you can stop now!" Jagaa yelled out to the boy. Naruto's response was to simply collapse on the ground panting heavily while Jagaa turned to the Hokage with an annoyed expression. "Is there something specific you wanted, or are you just here to gloat?"

Surprisingly, the kindly old man put on a mischievous smirk. "A little of both actually."

Jagaa smacked his forehead.

The Hokage's smirk turned to an amused smile. "Actually the reason I came down was to tell you that, mostly because of the conditions of how we got your agreement, that I won't resend my offer on the special conditions I offered you."

Jagaa lowered his hand and gave the old man a look that (despite the fact his eyes couldn't be seen) spoke volumes. "You may not believe this, but for someone who has spent his _whole life_ living completely unrestricted, only getting a month out of a year to leave the village and do what ever I want is _not_ something that makes me feel like leaping for joy."

"That's on top of any normal vacation time you get as well you know." Sarutobi said, but was answered by Jagaa's less than amused grunt. "All right, then how about we call it penance for using me as your replacement earlier?" The old man's eyes were dancing in mirth.

"You let me, and you know it!"

Sarutobi just smiled. The truth was that he had _not_ allowed himself to be used as a replacement any more than Jagaa had. He had honestly been surprised. Being able to replace yourself with another human with such speed was impressive, especially since it was much harder than replacing yourself with an inanimate object such as a log. The fact that both of them appeared to have done it instinctively only made it that much more impressive. The small display from both parties had been enough for the old man to decide he wanted the scarred young man to join Konoha's forces.

That and the fact that Sarutobi wanted to make sure Naruto didn't lose his brother figure anytime soon.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. As long as you have agreed, I'm satisfied." The Hokage said with a smile. "Now, do you think you could stop trying to kill Naruto with training?"

Jagaa raised an eyebrow before twisting his head to the sprawled out young blonde, and Sarutobi became curious at the way the same eyebrow started twitching at the sight.

"Naruto! Wake the fuck up!" Jagaa yelled, throwing a shuriken at him. Almost instantly, Naruto sprung to his feet with his hands already in his weapons pouch and the old Hokage soon found himself dodging ten incoming kunai and two shuriken that the boy had thrown as a counter. His eyes widening from the amount projectiles thrown at once, Sarutobi looked back just in time to see Jagaa appear behind Naruto and bash him upside the head, knocking the boy face first into the dirt.

"How many times do I have to tell you, 'One for One'?" Jagaa asked the boy who was furiously trying to clean the dirt off his tongue. "What the hell good does it do to waste all your weapons knocking away a single shuriken?"

"But Niiiiii-saaaaaannnnn, I can't help it." Naruto whined, pausing to spit out the few remaining pieces of gravel. "I just throw whatever I grab."

Jagaa let out a heavy sigh and started rubbing the bridge of his nose. "There has to be some way to fix that. Maybe if I make you empty your weapons pouch of everything but a single kunai or shuriken before you go to sleep your body will get used to only throwing _one_ weapon at a time."

"What if I miss?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head.

"Then you better hope I wasn't aiming for anything vital." Jagaa said coolly.

Naruto paled and started sweating heavily. "Uhm, I think I'm gonna go work on my aim a bit." He muttered. Running over to a tree, Naruto marked it with five 'X's in a line going down the trunk before running back about one hundred feet. Bending his knees slightly, Naruto held his hand steadily over his pouch on his right leg. After gazing intently at the tree for a moment, Sarutobi was surprised to see Naruto close his eyes.

With a swift motion, Naruto pulled out a kunai and threw it high into the air. Naruto's hand dipped in his pouch again pulling out four more kunai and tossing two to his left hand. In a smooth flow of motion, Naruto made an overhead throw with his right hand followed by a backwards side arm with his left. Without pause, he followed with an underhand throw from his right again before reversing his turn to mirror the last throw with his left hand. As the kunai left his fingertips, Naruto leapt into the air and grabbed the first kunai he had thrown upwards and spun once before loosing it from his right hand in a side arm throw. Finishing his throw, Naruto came down to land in a graceful half crouch as he exhaled slowly.

Four almost simultaneous 'thunks' followed closely by a fifth one had Sarutobi's eyes widening slightly. Each Kunai had hit a different 'X' with three out of four of them being directly in the center of the marks.

"How'd I do, Nii-san?" Naruto asked with a grin as Jagaa walked up to examine the tree closer.

"Not bad," He said after a quick inspection. "But you're still losing your orientation when you reverse direction," Jagaa pointed at the top kunai which had hit about an inch to the left of the center of the 'X'. "And on the last throw from the air." This time he pointed to the center kunai that had hit about two inches high and right. "Also, you did last weeks pattern of two, four, five, one, and three. This week's pattern is one, five, three, two, and four." Jagaa pulled the kunai out the tree and threw them back to Naruto. "Try again, and remember to _feel_ the target, not just see it."

"Hai, Sensei."

Sarutobi watched in amazement as Naruto went through the routine again, this time following the pattern he had been told. However, it wasn't just the display of skill that was so impressive to the old man, it was the way the two blondes in front of him were acting.

No longer was Naruto the loud, cocky, carefree boy he had been earlier in the day. Just as Jagaa was no longer the sarcastic, laid back, disrespectful man _he_ had been. They had become serious, focused, and intent. A Teacher and his Student. It was such a drastic change that Sarutobi could hardly recognize the two before him. Jagaa calmly and professionally correcting Naruto's form while the boy in turn listened intently and adjusted as Jagaa instructed, never once complaining or trying to cover up his mistakes with boasts or excuses.

'_Are they really the same two people that were in my office earlier today?_' The old man thought in wonderment, before another thought seeped into his mind. '_If Jagaa could help Naruto this much, I wonder…_' Sarutobi nodded to himself. It may be worth a shot.

"All right, Naruto, let's call it a day." Jagaa said after Naruto had done his maneuver for the twelfth time.

"Are you sure, Nii-san? I can still do more." Naruto said as he put the kunai he had been using back into his pouch.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I figure I owe you anyway since I beat the crap out of you for so long just because I was irritated." Jagaa said with a shrug.

Naruto coughed lightly and glanced at Jagaa a bit nervously. "So…will you tell me what _irritated_ you?" Naruto decided (for the sake of his health) not to point out that what Jagaa called 'Irritated' was what most people called being 'Pissed Off'.

Jagaa looked at the boy and a chill ran down his spine. "Well, because of _certain someone_," Naruto paled slightly. "I got myself looped into becoming a Jounin for Konoha once you become a Genin. I was going to say I'd join up when you became 'Hokage' so that I'd have a long, _long_, time to think of a way out of it, but then _someone_ started shouting about how easy it would be to become a _Genin_, and it screwed me up."

Naruto laughed nervously and glanced back and forth as if looking for an escape route. "Uhmm, I'm sorry?"

Jagaa smiled at the boy. "Oh, don't worry, Naruto. I'm not angry with you anymore. Besides," Jagaa's smile became wicked. "I've already thought of the best way to properly thank the man _responsible_." Jagaa leaned in close and whispered to Naruto, who in turn got an evil smile that Sarutobi felt he should recognize. The old man didn't get time to think on it, because as soon as Jagaa pulled away, Naruto ran up to the old man with his evil smile still in place.

"Hey, Ojii-san, Nii-san said to show the Jutsu I made up."

The old man remembered Jagaa's warning about Naruto's incredibly powerful original Jutsu, but didn't have time to say any thing as Naruto formed the ram seal. "**Henge**!"

'_A Henge?_' Sarutobi thought in confusion. '_Jagaa said it was one of the most powerful techniques he'd ever seen. How could a Henge…?_' Sarutobi's thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when the smoke around Naruto cleared away to reveal one of the most beautiful women Sarutobi had ever seen.

Her golden blonde hair was pulled into long pigtails that fell gently down her shoulders. Her incredible blue eyes shined like polished sapphires, and her soft, full lips were formed into a small pout between her cutely whiskered cheeks.

But most importantly…she was completely naked.

Sarutobi stared for almost a full three seconds at the vision in front of him before being blasted backwards by the torrent of blood that erupted from his nose, and lay twitching on the ground.

Naruto (now back in his normal form) was on the ground as well, unable to breath due to how hard he was laughing. Jagaa walked up and looked down on the twitching form of the village leader with a satisfied smile. "That's Naruto's _Oiroke no Jutsu_, and as you can see, I wasn't exaggerating about the devastation it can cause." Jagaa smirked and kicked some dirt into the puddle of blood from the old man's nose. "Well, he may be half dead, but it looks like he's still lively were it counts." Still smirking, Jagaa reached into his shuriken pouch and pulled out a disposable camera he had gotten for just such an occasion. A few flashes later Jagaa put the camera back into the pouch while chuckling amusedly. "Now we're even."

Jagaa turned back to Naruto. "Okay, you did your part. So now I'll hold up with my end of the deal."

Naruto was back on his feet so fast lightning would have been impressed. "YATTA, ALL I CAN EAT ICHIRAKU RAMEN!!"

"Yeah, yeah." Jagaa replied as he massaged his ears. "Let's just get the emptying of my wallet over with."

With Naruto still jumping for joy, the two blondes left the area, leaving the old Hokage twitching on the forest floor.

X X X X X

Naruto couldn't help the sense of wonderful nostalgia that came over him as he looked at the small ramen stand in front of him. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had last tasted the wonderful ramen made inside, but now, he was back and only a few feet from once again having the best ramen that he had ever tasted.

"Hey!" Jagaa's voice pulled Naruto out of his blissful thoughts. "Are you just gonna stand there drooling or do you plan on going inside?"

"I'm coming!" Naruto yelled and practically sprinted the remaining twenty feet or so.

As soon as Naruto was on his stool a pretty brunette came out of the back with a pad of paper and a pencil, smiling kindly. Naruto instantly recognized her as the twelve year old girl named 'Ayame' that used to talk to him while he ate if she wasn't busy helping her dad in the back. Now at sixteen, she had become quite an attractive young woman. "What can I get you gentlemen?" She asked sweetly.

Naruto's trip down memory lane was cut short by the question as his mouth started watering. "One of everything and keep em coming!" Naruto shouted happily and sat on his favorite old stool.

The pencil and pad fell from the girl's hands as she stared at Naruto as if she'd just seen a ghost. For an indefinite amount of time, the small stand was completely silent save the low snickering of Jagaa as he watched Naruto's growing nervousness.

"Uhhhh, are you okay, Ayame-chan?" Naruto asked and the girl's eyes regained their focus.

"NARUTO-KUN!" The girl screamed before launching herself over the counter to one of the most spectacular glomps ever seen by man. 

"Where have you been? Dad and I were so worried about you? Why did you just disappear like that?"

"A…Aya…me…chan…ca…n't…brea…th…" A quickly turning blue Naruto choked out. Off to the side, Jagaa was laughing his ass off at the boy's plight.

"Oh, sorry Naruto-kun." Ayame said and loosened her hold without fully letting go. "I was just so happy to see you again. We've really been worried about you, you know."

Naruto smiled apologetically despite his gasping. "I'm really sorry, Ayame-chan. I just had to get away for a while. Don't worry though. I won't be leaving again anytime soon." Ayame pulled away with a happy smile. "I'm glad."

A flash of light off to the side drew the reunited friend's attention and they turned their heads just in time to see Jagaa stowing his disposable camera. "What are you taking a picture for?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

Jagaa shrugged. "You never know when it could come in handy. Besides that though, are you two gonna hug all day or can we order now? I'm starting to get hungry here."

"Oh, yes, right away." Ayame said with a rosy blush as she broke away from Naruto and quickly moved back around the counter. "What can I get you?"

"I'll start with one shrimp ramen and go from there." Jagaa said easily. "I think you already heard what Naruto wanted."

With a nod, Ayame ran into the back of the shop. A few seconds later there was a surprised 'What?' from the back of the room, and soon after an elderly man walked through the doorway. As soon as the old man saw Naruto, his eyes lit up. "Well I'll be! It really is you! How have you been, boy? It's been far too quiet around here without you. You had us worried when you disappeared without telling us like that." The old man reached over the counter and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

Naruto smiled at the old man. "Sorry Jii-san, I won't do it again. I promise."

The kind old man smiled wider. "Good to hear. How about in celebration of your return, I give you the first five bowls free?"

"You're the best, Jii-san!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

Jagaa just shook his head. '_Only because he knows giving Naruto five bowls free is like giving a normal person ten percent discount on _one_ bowl._'

With another happy smile the old man followed his daughter to the back to make the orders.

Jagaa turned to Naruto with a small frown. "You know, I think I should be offended that I wasn't even noticed. Where's the customer service card? I'm gonna complain."

"Ha ha." Naruto said sarcastically. "You're just upset that Ayame-chan was so happy to see me that she didn't pay any attention to you."

Jagaa's frown turned into a smirk. "Funny you should mention her. You seemed to be pretty happy while she was hugging you. Could it be that little Naru-kun has a crush on an older girl?"

Naruto blushed a deep red. "I do _not_ have a crush on Ayame-chan! She's just a friend!"

"Well I've seen plenty of _other_ girls that would _love_ to be your _friend_, but you always run away from them. That either means, one, that you're gay, or two, you had another girl in mind, right?"

Naruto growled. "Fangirls are _not_ normal girls and you know it." Naruto's angry look became smug. "Or have you forgotten about _your_ Fangirls in Kiri?"

Jagaa shuddered violently. "Point taken. You win this one."

Naruto smiled smugly but let the issue drop. He didn't want to think about Fangirls anymore. It might make him lose his appetite.

For a time the two of them just sat quietly as the sounds of cooking filled the air until Jagaa decided to break the silence. "So how was your first day at the academy? Well, minus the fact I know you must have hated sitting on your ass all day."

Naruto shuddered almost as much as Jagaa had. "Yeah, that part wasn't fun in the least." Naruto's face lit up with a grin. "But I did make a few friends and embarrass that Uchiha-teme. So over all I'd say that it was worth coming back." Naruto looked up to the roof of the Ramen stand with determined and happy grin on his face. "Things are going to be different this time."

Jagaa smiled lightly at the boy's happy expression before his eyebrows rose questioningly. "Uchiha-teme?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yeah, he challenged me to a fight and I totally…YATTA, RAMEN!" Naruto yelled happily as Ayame set a bowl of the steaming Miso Ramen in front of the whiskered blonde. Naruto immediately grabbed his chopsticks and broke them apart. "Itadakimasu!" He yelled before shoveling noodles into his mouth at a ferocious rate.

'_The only thing Naruto likes better than boasting is eating ramen._' Jagaa thought with a shake of his head before looking up to Ayame as she set his Shrimp Ramen in front of him. "I hope you have a few bowls already on back up. He goes through those things fast you know."

The girl nodded with a small blush on her cheeks. "Don't worry, we know all about how much he can eat. Excuse me." Turning quickly the girl darted back through the door to the back, rushing past her father just as he was coming out. He smiled at her fondly before walking over to lean on one elbow in front of Jagaa. "Heheh, it seems my daughter is quite taken with you."

Jagaa just swallowed the noodles in his mouth before looking up to the old man with a smirk. "It's the sunglasses. Chicks did the mysterious look." Seeing the old mans slight frown, Jagaa's smirk changed to a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. She's safe from me. I may sleep around, but I don't touch innocent girls like her. It feels kinda wrong."

"You're a player?" The old man asked with an eyebrow raised.

"More like, non-committal." Jagaa answered easily. "So I only ever hook up with women who have the same mindset."

The old man nodded. "At least you're honest." The old man looked away long enough to hand Naruto another bowl of Ramen just before the boy could yell for more. With a happy cry Naruto proceeded to dig in again. Turning back to Jagaa the old man smiled widely. "There are some things that are impossible to forget." He explained.

"I'll bet." Jagaa said dryly before taking another bite of noodles. "You know, this stuff is really good." He added thoughtfully.

"Thank you." The old man smiled kindly again, and Jagaa started to wonder if the man even had an aggressive bone in his body. "My name is Teuchi." The man said extending his hand. Jagaa examined it curiously for a moment before taking it in his own. "Jagaa."

"Nice to meet you, Jagaa."

"Same to you."

"Old Man, another bowl!" Naruto yelled happily. Still smiling, Teuchi pulled up another pre prepared bowl.

Jagaa watched the old man hand Naruto his next bowl as he asked the boy how he had been for the last few years. Naruto of course started to animatedly tell the kind old man everything he could think of, even through a mouth full of noodles. Ayame soon came out of the back as well and holding three more bowls of ramen. She her face flushed slightly when she looked over at Jagaa again, but soon enough was chatting happily with Naruto alongside her father.

Jagaa smiled slightly at the sight. It was nice to see that Naruto had at least had a few people in the village that hadn't hated him. It was starting to make sense to the scarred young man was starting to see why Naruto wanted to come back so badly. Sometimes it was worth putting up with the hatred of a hundred people, just to feel the kindness of one.

It was about then, that Tuechi raised his head to look at something outside of the stand and his eyes widened fearfully before glancing back down worriedly at the happy blonde boy. Catching the motion, Ayame too looked up and her own eyes widened as well. Jagaa didn't need to look to know what they had seen, and from the expression on Naruto's face, neither did he. Without a word, Jagaa reached out and rubbed the top of the boy's head comfortingly. Starting in surprise, Naruto looked at Jagaa.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Like you said before, things are gonna be different this time." Jagaa's mouth formed a confident and reassuring smirk as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Because this time, _I'm_ here."

Naruto felt tears well up in his eyes as he looked at the man that had become like his brother over the last four years. Closing his eyes and wiping them furiously, he nodded his understanding, still not able to look at the man because of all the emotion welling inside him.

Jagaa smiled fondly at the young boy as he gently ruffled his hair one more time before standing up from the stool and facing the oncoming mob.

X X X X X

"Such power." The old Hokage muttered, now sitting behind his desk after waking up from his fainting due to blood loss. How could such a young boy come up with such a devastating technique? It was unfair.

"Now I remember that smile." Sarutobi chastised himself. "That was Naruto's 'prank' smile. Seeing that has never been a good sign." The old man's voice hardened slightly. "And why do I suddenly know that the 'snort' Jagaa let out earlier was _not_ a sneeze?" Sarutobi's face shifted again to take on a surprisingly malicious smile. "Having Naruto use such a technique on me was rather low, Jagaa-kun. However, I have already thought of a suitable vengeance. You will rue the day you tangled with the one known as 'The God of Shinobi'." Sarutobi chuckled darkly as his plans for retribution played through his mind.

"Uh, should I come back later, Hokage-sama?" A lazy voice said from in front of him.

The old man snapped his eyes up to see Kakashi standing in the middle of the room, his visible eye watching him warily. "Uh, Kakashi-kun, what are you doing here?"

"You asked me to come." The silver haired Jounin stated bluntly, still watching him carefully.

Sarutobi was seriously fighting the urge to slap himself right now. "Oh, yes, well thank you for coming. Please have a seat." He indicated one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I think I'd prefer to stand." Kakashi said politely even as his mind finished his thought. '_Just in case I have to run away from the crazy old man._'

Sarutobi nodded, his years of experience being the only thing keeping him from blushing at being caught acting like a vengeful ten year old. "Very well, do you know why I called you here?" At Kakashi's negative shake of his head, Sarutobi lifted his pipe to his mouth. "The truth is that I would like your opinion on a few matters."

Kakashi tilted his head curiously. "What matters are those, Hokage-sama."

"For starters, I would like to know how strong you think Jagaa-kun is."

Kakashi paused, putting his hand in his chin thoughtfully and looking at the ceiling. "Hmm, I can't say for sure having only had a brief exchange with him four years ago, but if he's stronger now than he was then. I have no doubt that I would lose if I didn't use the _Sharingan_."

The sure way Kakashi answered made Sarutobi's eyes widen. "And if you did use it?"

Kakashi stayed silent for a while, staring at the ceiling. When he finally looked down, his eye was curved into a relaxed smile. "I have no idea, Hokage-sama." Sarutobi's eye twitched in annoyance as he fought down the urge to pound some seriousness into the masked man.

"I see." The old man said as he took a calming puff on his pipe. "Do you feel I was wrong in my decision to allow him unescorted movement based on only his word that he would become a Jounin of Konoha? Should I have waited until the day he actually wore the Konoha Hitai-ate?" The old man dropped his pipe and looked at Kakashi expectantly.

"With all do respect, Hokage-sama. Why are you asking me about this?" Kakashi stated. "Wouldn't it be better for you to consult with your advisors in this situation?"

"No, it wouldn't" Sarutobi answered causing Kakashi's head to tilt in confusion. "They would only look at things in the sense of 'He's a Wandering Nin' and demand his actions be restricted. I also feel that, despite how much it pains me to admit, they may be biased due to the fact he has been training Naruto. That's why I want the opinion of someone who has talked with him and spent a bit of time with him, and who holds no grudge against Naruto." The Hokage took another puff on his pipe. "So I'll ask you again, Kakashi-kun. Do you think he should still be escorted?"

Kakashi nodded his acceptance of the old man's answer and frowned lightly behind his mask as he thought. "I don't know about being escorted, Hokage-sama, but I do think you should have ANBU following him." Sarutobi raised his eyebrows curiously, but Kakashi held up a hand. "Let me finish, sir. He needs ANBU following him, and so does Naruto. Not because of anything _they_ might do, but because of what _others_ might try to do. I don't think I need to remind you of how happy the villagers, and a large amount of the Shinobi, were to hear that Naruto had left the village. They won't take the news that he's back well." Kakashi looked directly into the old Hokage's eyes. "And if there's one thing I _do_ know, it's that Jagaa will _not_ allow Naruto to be mistreated."

The Hokage narrowed his eyes. "How far would he go?"

Kakashi smiled. "Well, let's just say that it is a _very_ good thing I happened to be walking by the gate today or we'd be short two gate guards."

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Wonderful."

Kakashi smile faded slightly. "Don't worry, Hokage-sama, I've already asked some old ANBU friends of mine to keep an eye on the two of them, so it should be…." The sound of rushing wind marked someone's arrival through _shunshin_, and both the aged Hokage and the silver haired Jounin looked over to see a man in dark ANBU clothing and a wolf mask kneeling off to the side.

"Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san, we have a situation!"

"What is it?" Sarutobi asked crisply.

"There is a large group of villagers moving to Naruto-san and Jagaa-san's location. I have my men ready to step in if they show signs of violence, but it may require Hokage-sama's intervention to keep the peace."

The old man instantly stood up from behind his desk, complete seriousness in his eyes. "Let's go." He commanded and all three of them disappeared.

X X X X X

When Sarutobi arrived, he had expected to see a large crowd of angry villagers, possibly being blocked off by ANBU, standing in front of the small ramen stand and screaming for blood while Jagaa stood protectively in front of Naruto.

What he did _not_ expect to see, was a large crowd of villagers laying on the ground and groaning in pain while the ANBU stood nervously off to the side. Watching as Jagaa held a terrified man three feet off the ground with one hand.

"This is the only warning you all get!" Sarutobi heard Jagaa growl to the man. "If _anyone_ tries to harm Naruto in _any_ way, they probably _won't_ live to regret the mistake! Do I make myself clear?" The frightened man (who now had a wet trail running down his pants) nodded vigorously. With a grunt of acceptance Jagaa dropped the man, watching as his knees buckled beneath him. "I suggest you and your friends spread the word fast. You wouldn't want to be responsible for the deaths of unwarned people now would you?" The man shook his head so hard it looked like it was about to fly off his shoulders. "Good. Now get the _hell_ out of my sight."

The man took off at a speed that could have put some Shinobi to shame and most of the people on the ground were already crawling away as fast as their injured bodies would allow. Without another word, Jagaa turned and walked back into the ramen stand and took a seat next to Naruto as the boy himself stared in awe. Behind the counter, an elderly man clapped Jagaa on the shoulder heartily as he offered him a fresh bowl of ramen, and a brown haired girl was looking at him with hearts in her eyes.

The old Hokage looked from the four in the stand, to the people on the ground groaning or crawling away, then at the ANBU standing around nervously, before going back to the four in the ramen stand. The action was repeated again and again, to the point Kakashi was starting to wonder if the village leader was going to make himself dizzy.

Shaking his head, Kakashi turned and addressed one of the present ANBU. "What happened here?" The question seemed to snap the old man back to reality and he to turned to listen to the response.

The ANBU shifted from side to side uncomfortably. "W-well, we were watching the new arrival just as you asked us to, when a large group of villagers gathered behind the ramen stand. The villagers started yelling various insults such as 'Demon Lover' and 'Monster Protector', and we were about to intervene, when one of the villagers picked up a rock and made as if to throw it." The ANBU looked over to the stand, and a slight awe came to his voice. "I could barely even see him move. He grabbed the man's hand from behind to stop the throw, but that was _after_ he had already knocked out everyone else in the group with low powered strikes to their heads and abdomens. The only people I've ever seen move like that before, were either Kakashi-san or Gai-san."

Kakashi and Sarutobi glanced at each other and nodded. It seemed that Kakashi's predictions on Jagaa's strength, as well as his lack of hesitation to protect Naruto, were right on the mark.

"Take any of the injured villagers, who have not left by their own power already, to the hospital for a check up." The Hokage ordered the ANBU. "Kakashi and I will talk with Jagaa."

"Yes, Sir!" The ANBU saluted before motioning to his colleges, who immediately set to work gathering up the remaining people on the ground. With another nod to Kakashi, the Hokage entered the stand followed by the masked Jounin. "Good evening, Jagaa-san, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said smoothly and took a seat next to the scarred man.

Jagaa turned and smiled easily. "Hey old timer, you just missed the party. A group of villagers came to _celebrate_ Naruto's return to Konoha. I just finished showing them how much we _appreciated_ their efforts." Sarutobi felt his irritation rise at Jagaa's casualness at attacking villagers…or maybe it was because Jagaa had just called him 'Old Timer'. He wasn't sure.

Naruto was watching Hokage somewhat nervously. He knew that the old man was nice, but he might not take too kindly to Jagaa attacking villagers. He was afraid that his worries had been confirmed when he saw the kindly old man frown. "May I ask why you decided to attack the villagers _before_ they actually attacked you?" He said pointedly.

"Preemptive strike." Jagaa shrugged. "Besides, it's my policy to kill anyone who attacks me without provocation. So it was either hurt them but not kill them by making the first move myself, or let them attack first and kill them all." Jagaa give the old man a vicious grin. "However, if you don't like the fact I went with option one, I'd be _more_ than happy to go with option two."

Sarutobi sighed. "I would prefer that you _not_ attack the villagers at all. You are going to be a Jounin of this village in less than a year. I can probably get this incident past the council as you being ignorant of how things work here, but that won't work twice."

Jagaa's voice hardened slightly. "You say that as if I give a fuck. Don't forget, I didn't ask, nor do I _want_ to become a Jounin of this village. The only reason I don't just leave now, is because of Naruto. So if you think I'm gonna sit back and let these shit for brains faggots you call 'villagers' hurt him based on nothing more than their own stupidity, then you should book yourself a room in an old folks home because you've gone senile."

Naruto, Ayame, and Teuchi were all staring at Jagaa in a mixture of shock and amazement. Even Kakashi's visible eye had widened slightly in surprise at Jagaa's bold statement. All four of them were looking back and forth from Jagaa to the Hokage in anticipation of what would happen next, and were surprised when the old man smiled lightly.

"Hnn, you certainly don't mince your words do you, Jagaa-san?"

Jagaa smirked back. "Nope."

The old man shook his head. "Maybe having you around will be more trouble than I thought."

"You could always…"

"No, I'm holding you to your deal to become a Jounin." The old man actually smirked at Jagaa's scowl. "Call it payback for the little prank you and Naruto played on me." The old man's smirk widened evilly. "And that's only the beginning."

Jagaa's own scowl deepened. "I think I'm starting to dislike you, old man." The Hokage simply smiled in response.

Now that the fear of Jagaa getting in trouble was gone, Naruto had started snickering quietly along with Kakashi as they watched the exchange.

"Uhm, sorry to interrupt," The four sitting at the counter turned their heads to look at Teuchi as he addressed Naruto and Jagaa. "But didn't you two just get here today?" At the pair of blondes nod, the old man continued. "So do you have a place to stay?"

Jagaa and Naruto blinked a couple times at the man (Naruto's blinks the only ones able to be seen due to Jagaa's sunglasses) before turning to each other.

"Do we have a place to stay?" Jagaa asked.

"How should I know? You're the adult!" Naruto answered.

"You're the one who's lived here before, _and_ the one that wanted to come back! Didn't you have some kind of plan?"

"I'm eleven! What do I know about making plans?"

"We'll I'm a _Wanderer_! Why the hell would I think about a permanent residence? I usually sleep in the woods! Something you should be well aware of!"

"I can't believe you'd try to blame this on a kid, you irresponsible pervert!"

"Hey, _I'm_ not the one who wanted to come here in the first place, you Chibi pain in the ass! That makes it _your_ fault by _de_fault!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN 'CHIBI'!?"

The other four occupants of the little ramen stand could only watch in amazement as Jagaa and Naruto continued to argue back and forth like a pair of school boys over who's fault it was that they had no place to stay. The Sandaime was about to suggest that they stay at his house for the night when a new voice cut in.

"Yo, Naruto, what's up man?" Everyone in the stand turned back to see Kiba walking up to them with Akamaru on his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Kiba. What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, completely forgetting he was currently in an argument.

"I just heard some people yelling and thought I recognized your voice so I came to check it out." Kiba said with a shrug.

"Oh, yeah." Naruto laughed. "Me and Nii-san were arguing about whose fault it is that we don't have a place to stay."

"Yours." Jagaa said from beside him as he took a bite of the ramen he had been neglecting.

"It is NOT!"

The two once again degenerated into an argument leaving Kiba to blink along with the rest of the observing group. "Uh, you know. You could probably stay at my place for a couple nights." He said after a few moments of stupor.

Naruto and Jagaa instantly stopped arguing and looked at Kiba curiously. "Really?" They asked in unison.

"Uh, yeah, sure. I mean, mom's always telling me that she's worried about me because I never bring any friends over. So I don't think she'll mind." Kiba said with Akamaru barking his agreement.

Naruto and Jagaa looked from Kiba to each other and Naruto's questioning eyes were met with a shrug. "I guess it's worth a shot." Jagaa said casually, even though he was wondering how Kiba's mother would react to Naruto.

"Cool!" Kiba said before walking in and hoping on the last remaining stool. "We can go once you've finished eating."

Jagaa glanced over to the Kiba and then to Teuchi who nodded and handed Kiba a bowl of beef ramen. "What's this? I didn't order anything." Kiba said perplexed.

"Just eat up, kid." Jagaa said as he took another bite of his shrimp ramen. "We're gonna be here for a while."

"What does that mean?" Kiba asked.

Jagaa just smirked. "Just watch and see. I'd hate to ruin the surprise for you."

"So you'll be taking young Inuzuka here up on his offer then?" Sarutobi asked.

"Well, we'll try to anyway." Jagaa answered. The Sandaime just nodded, fully aware of the hidden meaning in Jagaa's words. "If it does not work out, feel free to come to my manor. I'd be happy to let you both stay with me for a time."

Jagaa smiled and clapped the old man on the back in a hearty manner, making his hat fall into his eyes. "That's mighty considerate of you there old timer. Maybe you're not so bad after all."

Sarutobi adjusted his hat to sit right on his head again, casting a less than amused look at Jagaa. "Anyway, I must be going. Take care, all of you." With that, the Sandaime removed himself from the counter stool and exited the shop. As he left, all the remaining occupants of the stand, with the exception of Jagaa, were staring at his retreating figure with wide eyes.

"You know you're going to catch hell for that, right?" Kakashi said easily as he put his nose back in his book.

"Probably, but it was worth it." Jagaa responded before looking over to Naruto who was laughing to hard to even eat his ramen (an incredible thing in itself). "You! Quit laughing and finish eating so we can go to your friend's house. It's gonna take you long enough as it is."

"All right, all right, I'm eating." Naruto said as he calmed himself down before practically diving into his bowl.

Jagaa looked back to Kiba who was watching Naruto eat in fascination. "Like I said, eat up kid. We're gonna be here a while."

X X X X X

Fifty seven bowls of ramen and one shocked Kiba later, the three of them were walking into the Inuzuka compound with Kiba leading the way. As they entered the compound, Naruto and Jagaa were assaulted by the overwhelming smell of dogs. Kiba noticed the two of them flinch slightly and cover their noses and laughed apologetically. "Heheh, sorry for not warning you. I forgot that the smell can be a bit much for people who aren't used to it."

"Nah, don't worry about it. It just caught me off guard." Naruto laughed. "Nii-san's cooking smells way worse than this anyway." Naruto was sent sprawling into the dirt a second later by Jagaa's blow to the back of his head. A second after _that_ Naruto was jumping around wiping his tongue and spitting, a horrified and disgusted look on his face. "GAAAHHH, THERE WAS DOG SHIT THERE!!"

"Teach you to insult my cooking." Jagaa smirked as Naruto dunked his face into a nearby trough of water and shook his head viciously trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

"Uh, Naruto, that's what our dogs drink from." Kiba said from the sidelines.

Naruto's head stopped cold with his face still underwater before the trough practically exploded upwards as Naruto ripped his face from the water. "GAAHHH, I WAS DRINKING DOG DROOL!!" This was followed by Naruto running around the clearing in the compound screaming like and idiot about rabies and the fact dogs lick their butts.

Kiba stared at Naruto incredulously before turning to look at Jagaa. "You know, when he fought the Uchiha-teme today, he was pretty badass. Now he just looks like an idiot."

Jagaa shrugged. "You get used to it." Kiba just shook his head in amazement and turned back to watch Naruto, who was now being chased around by Akamaru and several other puppies that thought the boy was playing some kind of game.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE!?" A powerful female voice rang out, cutting through Naruto's screaming. Naruto instantly froze and Kiba went white as a sheet. "Uh oh."

A few seconds later a woman with long, wild brown hair came slamming through the door followed by a large black dog with a scar over its eye on her heels, her slit pupils roving over the scene in front of her. The first thing she saw was Kiba, pale as ghost and shaking nervously, before she moved on to the source of the ruckus. As soon as she saw Naruto surrounded by puppies, her eyes widened. "You're…"

"That's right." Jagaa said, moving into the woman's line of sight. "His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

The woman's eyes focused on Jagaa. "And you are?"

"Jagaa." He answered before finishing with an edge in his voice. "The brat's _Guardian_."

"Hey, I'm not a brat!" Naruto yelled, but he was ignored by both Jagaa and the woman.

"Kiba!" The woman barked making the boy go rigged. "Who are these people and what are they doing here?"

"Uhh, well," Kiba stated nervously. "Naruto is my new friend at the academy and Jagaa is the guy that's been training him while he was away from Konoha. I heard them saying that they didn't have a place to stay and offered to let them crash here. You know, since you're always telling me I should invite friends over and such."

The woman's eyes narrowed as several more people and dogs came out of the house behind them. Jagaa noticed many peoples eyes widen in recognition when they saw Naruto, some becoming hateful. His eyes hardened behind his glasses.

"Naruto, we're leaving!" He said curtly earning a surprised look from Kiba and a sorrowfully understanding one from Naruto.

"What? Why? I'm sure mom will let you stay if…" Kiba was cut off when Naruto put his hand on his shoulder and gave him a large foxy grin.

"Don't worry about it, Kiba. We'll just sleep in the woods. We're used to it anyway, right Nii-san?" Jagaa nodded in response and Naruto smiled wider. "See, we'll be just fine. Thanks for the offer though. I'll see you at the academy tomorrow." Looking a bit downtrodden, Kiba nodded his understanding.

Seeing the depressed look that came over her son's face, the woman sighed and started to call out to the retreating pair. She was unable to do so though, as another voice, one that held nothing but spite, called out before her.

"That's right! Get that monster out of our home!"

The next thing anyone saw was a black blur appear in front of the man who had yelled and slam him by his throat into the side of the large home.

"Care to say that again?" Jagaa growled as he slowly tightened his grip on the choking and struggling man. There was a loud snarl as a large brown dog leapt at Jagaa. Without letting go of the man, or even facing the animal, Jagaa swung his free hand around and smashed the back of his fist into the side of the dog's head, sending it to the ground with a painful yelp. Without sparing the dog a glance, Jagaa turned his face the rest of the gathered Inuzuka with a hard expression. "Next."

Kiba and Naruto watched in a mixture of awe and horror as the remaining Inuzuka braced them selves to attack Jagaa. Fortunately, before any one could start what would definitely be a large fight, Kiba's mother's voice rang out directed at her fellow Inuzuka.

"ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!" The shout stopped the other Inuzuka cold and made Jagaa raise his eyebrows curiously. Turning away from her clans men she addressed Jagaa. "Please let our pack mate go."

Jagaa's eyebrows rose higher. "And just why should I do that? He insulted someone that, although he's annoying most of the time, I've grown rather fond of."

Surprisingly, it was the large black dog next to her that spoke next, his voice a low growl. "Human, do you know what will happen if you continue to harm our pack mate?"

Jagaa gave the dog a vicious smile and his grip tightened a little more. "Why don't we find out?"

"Why you…" The dog growled but was cut off when the woman put her hand in front of him.

"Enough, Kuromaru." She said as she looked at Jagaa.

The dog looked up at the woman. "Tsume?"

Tsume took a few steps toward Jagaa her eyes glinting strangely. Then to the shock of all present, she bowed to Jagaa. "Please let our pack mate go. He may be an Omega (the other Inuzuka flinched at the insult) that does not know how to hold his tongue, but he is still one of our own. I ask you to release him as the head of the clan."

Jagaa turned his face from the woman to the man that was turning blue in his grip and then back to Tsume before sighing lightly. "Fine." He said before pulling his hand away to let the man fall limply to the floor where he gasped painfully for air.

"Thank you." Tsume said gratefully but Jagaa merely grunted.

"I only did it because you're one of the few clan heads I've met that's willing to swallow their pride for the sake of a clan member. Otherwise he would be dead, and I'd be in the middle of killing anyone who tried to do something about it."

Kuromaru growled at Jagaa. "Awfully sure of yourself, aren't you human?"

"In more ways than one, Mutt." Jagaa smirked at the dog before looking to the rest of the group. "Well, I've had enough fun for the day." He said just before a blue and yellow figure launched at him from the side. Casually raising his hand Jagaa caught the punch aimed for his face before glancing down at Naruto. "What are you doing?"

"That's what I was gonna ask!" Naruto yelled surprising the onlookers. "You were about to kill that guy!"

"You weren't complaining when I knocked out all of those civilians earlier." Jagaa countered.

"That was different." The young boy growled. "You were only scaring them."

"So you think." Jagaa smirked at the scowling Naruto. "Besides, you were doing the same thing as me when we were _outside_ of Konoha, even if it wasn't to a lethal extent. Like that time you put those five Iwa Genin in the hospital because they were harassing that civilian girl."

Naruto blushed lightly and glanced at Kiba who was looking at him in amazement. "It wasn't that big a deal. They were fresh out of their academy and trying to show off. I mostly got them by surprise."

"Oh, what about the three Kiri Genin that were torturing that puppy. (This instantly caught the attention of the every Inuzuka present) If I recall, you made _sure_ they knew you were there before you attacked them."

"Uhm…" Naruto fidgeted nervously.

"And then there was that time…"

"OKAY!" Naruto yelled out in exasperation causing Jagaa to smirk wider.

"I'm just saying that you've never had any problems with using violence when needed before. So why are you going all pansy on me now?"

Naruto shifted from foot to foot looking at the ground. "I wasn't trying to become Hokage out there." He mumbled.

Jagaa sighed. He could understand Naruto's hesitation to stand up for himself now that he was back in Konoha. Not only was he already tainted with an inescapable stigma (A curse Jagaa was still deciding if he should tell the boy about or not) it wouldn't make things easier to achieve his dreams if the villagers thought he was willing to attack them. No matter how much they deserved it. With a shake of his head, he reached out and ruffled the boy's hair.

"All right, Brat. I'll _try_ to curb my more violent tendencies. 'Try' being the key word here." Jagaa smiled mischievously.

Naruto grinned up at Jagaa. "Thanks Nii-san."

The on looking Inuzuka stood in amazement as they watched the exchange between the two. It wasn't until Kiba's sixteen year old sister, Inuzuka Hana, stepped forward and addressed the pair that the silence was broken. "Excuse me, but what happened to that puppy you mentioned?" She asked.

Naruto's face fell and he looked to the ground, leaving Jagaa to answer. "It died." A gasp ran through the clan as Jagaa continued. "By the time Naruto got there, they had already stabbed it several times in vital areas. It died before we could get it anywhere for treatment."

A low growl emitted from all of the gathered Inuzuka. "What happened to the Genin who tortured it?" Tsume snarled.

"They lived, but they'll never be able to be Shinobi again. Hell, they'll be lucky if they can even walk." Jagaa smirked lightly. "That was the only time so far that_ I_ had to stop _Naruto_ from killing someone." There was a grunt of satisfaction (even if it wasn't _complete_ satisfaction) and many of the Inuzuka actually looked favorably at the young blonde as Tsume walked over and looked down at the boy. "Why were you so concerned for a pup, young one?"

Naruto expression became defiant. "No one has a right to treat _any_ living thing like that, especially for _amusement_. They deserved worse than they got as far as I'm concerned."

Tsume smiled approvingly at the boy before her expression became serious. "Even if it was not one of our own, we Inuzuka feel a keen connection to all canine life. You may not have saved the pup, but your effort is proof enough of your honorable nature. From now on, you are welcome in the Inuzuka home."

Naruto's stunned face showed his astonishment as he stared at the woman. Finally snapping himself out of his stupor, Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Thank you." Tsume smiled at him and Naruto Turned happily to Jagaa, but paused when he noticed his older brother was frowning. "What's wrong, Nii-san."

Jagaa shook his head. "I don't know. It just seems like all of this is unrealistically convenient." At Naruto's puzzled stare he elaborated. "Think about it. I just _happen_ to say one of things you've done that just _happens_ to strike an emotional chord in a group of people who just _happen_ to be dog lovers. So now they all instantly decide you're a good person. Doesn't that seem just a little strange to you?"

"I think you're over thinking things, Nii-san." Naruto said pointedly.

"And I think _you_ accept things to easy." Jagaa's frown became a victorious smirk. "Oh well, even if it is unrealistic, it proves I'm right. Resorting to violence _does_ have its rewards."

Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"So does that mean Naruto can stay?" Kiba asked his mother. At her acknowledging nod, Kiba pumped his fist into the air. "Hell yeah!" Running over, he grabbed Naruto by the arm. "Come on man, you can stay in my room!" Grinning widely the two took off inside the house with the other Inuzuka falling in behind as they to went in. Jagaa noticed that several of the Inuzuka were still regarding Naruto with somewhat distrustful eyes, but that was only to be expected. Nobody could completely change so quickly after all. It actually made him feel a bit better about the whole situation.

"It seems that my son and your brother will probably be good friends in the years to come." Tsume said as she walked up beside him. Jagaa simply nodded his agreement before turning to the Inuzuka clan head. "Considering I probably pissed off most of your clan, I'll just go sleep in the forest. I'll be back in the morning to get Naruto." Jagaa turned to leave but Tsume's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"That won't be necessary. Your actions were justifiable. I would have reacted much the same way if someone was to insult my son without just cause, and it probably would have been more brutal than what you did." Tsume smiled viciously. "We Inuzuka live close to our instincts after all."

"I see." Jagaa replied and looked at the woman for a bit before shrugging. "Eh, whatever. If it doesn't bother you, then I'll go ahead and take you up on the offer. I guess sleeping on a bed would be a bit better than sleeping in a tree anyway."

Tsume smiled and motioned for him to follow. "I'll show you to the room you'll be staying in." Jagaa complied and fell in step behind her.

The two of them walked through the halls of the Inuzuka home until they came to a large door. "After you." Tsume said with a grin, getting a shrug from Jagaa as he opened the door and walked inside. Looking around, he found himself in a spacious, well furnished bedroom with a king sized bed against the middle of the wall. Jagaa whistled lowly as he examined the room. "Kind of fancy for a guest bedroom, don't you think?" He asked out loud. His answer was the door shutting behind him and a small click. As he turned to question what was going on, he felt a small wave of chakra travel across the walls of the room. '_A silencing Jutsu? That would mean…Uh oh!_' The next thing Jagaa knew, he was tackled to the bed with his vest and sword having somehow been removed and a pair of lips hungrily locked on to his own. As soon as the initial surprise wore off Jagaa actually shrugged under the woman before returning the kiss vigorously.

After a few minutes of a fierce battle of tongues, Tsume pulled back panting and wearing a feral grin. "You like?"

Jagaa smirked. "Very much." The smirk then turned into a small frown. "Not that I'm complaining, but what exactly brought this on?"

Tsume leaned in close, her eyes glowing with lust as she spoke. "I told you, we Inuzuka live close to our instincts, and your little display out there has mine running wild."

"I hope you're not planning anything long term." Jagaa said. "I'm not the settling down type."

Tsume smirked and trailed her hand down his exposed chest, tracing on of the longer scars. "Neither am I."

Jagaa matched Tsume smirk for smirk. "I see. That's good to here." With a quick motion, Jagaa flipped Tsume onto her back and took position above her as he ripped her shirt away from her body. Tsume shuddered as the air hit her now exposed breasts and groaned when Jagaa leaned in and started kissing the crook of her neck. "Then I'll just have to satisfy those _instincts_ of yours, wont I?" He said huskily just before he nipped her neck with his teeth eliciting a gasp from the woman.

Jagaa smirked at the woman's lustful moans, his own desire increasing with each one. '_And Naruto didn't believe me when I told him that violence can be rewarding._'

X X X X X

"Achoo!" Naruto sneezed and looked around.

"Got a cold?" Kiba asked and Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, I don't really get sick. I'm guessing Nii-san is bad mouthing me."

Kiba cocked his head mockingly. "You actually believe that old wives tale?"

Naruto frowned at Kiba before motioning for Akamaru to come over to him. Once the puppy was close enough, Naruto leaned down and whispered in the dog's ear. A few seconds later, Kiba sneezed violently and Akamaru was snickering in his canine way.

"What the hell did you just say about me!?" Kiba yelled and Naruto just looked at him innocently.

"Why Kiba, whatever do you mean? You don't actually believe that old wives tale, do you?"

Kiba glared at the blonde boy who was now snickering along with the little white dog. "How about both of you go sleep in the kennel instead."

"Kiba!" A female voice came from the door way, and the three occupants turned to see Kiba's sister, Hana, with a disapproving frown. "That's no way to talk to your guest." Naruto and Akamaru were trying to hold in their laughter at Kiba's caught expression.

With a quick glare at the pair, Kiba looked back to his sister smiling apologetically. "Sorry, Nee-chan."

Hana nodded her acceptance before looking at Naruto. "Would you like anything to eat, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, no thanks. I ate ramen earlier so I'm good."

"More like _inhaled_ it. A _shit load_ of it." Kiba muttered with Akamaru barking his agreement.

"Okay then." Hana said sweetly. "If you need anything just let me know, okay." His smile widening Naruto nodded and Hana left the room closing the door behind her.

"Don't get any ideas!" Kiba suddenly growled at Naruto. The blonde quickly raised his hands up in a placating way, fully realizing what Kiba was talking about. "Never had any."

"Good."

Kiba visibly relaxed and the three of them sat in a comfortable silence for a while. The silence was cut short when Kiba started snickering. "So do you think he noticed yet?"

It took a while for Naruto to understand what Kiba meant, but as soon as he did, he to started snickering insanely. "Oh Kami, I wish I could see the look on his face when he does!"

"No kidding!" Kiba's snickering turned into full blown laughter. "I still can't believe someone would actually do that to the _Hokage_! Your brother is nuts!"

"You just notice that?" Naruto asked and both fell into fresh gales of laughter.

Eventually the laughter died away and the two boys sat on the floor smiling as they caught their breath with Akamaru looking between the two like they were insane.

"I'm glad I came back." Naruto said as he looked at the ceiling with a smile.

"I'm glad you did to." Kiba said before frowning slightly. "Too bad we didn't meet before you left."

"We probably did." Naruto replied. "You just wouldn't have talked to me back then."

Kiba tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Why not?"

Naruto waved dismissively. "Nothing. Forget I said anything." Naruto decided it would be best to change the subject, and he had just the way to do it. "By the way, your sister's hot."

Naruto grinned widely as he saw Kiba's eyes widen and then narrow to the points they were slits. If there was one thing Naruto knew well it was when it was time to run, which he did by leaping out Kiba's open window while blowing a raspberry at him. Kiba's face instantly reddened as he charged after the boy.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

X X X X X

Sarutobi was confused. No he was beyond confused. He was completely baffled.

The walk back to his home had started off normal. He would nod and smile to villagers as he passed, and they in turn would smile and wave, if not bow, to him as he passed. What made it so different tonight was that this time he was sure he could hear people snickering and giggling after he had walked by them. Several times he had looked back to see what was so funny, only to catch people snapping their heads away as if caught looking at something they shouldn't be.

What was even stranger than that though, was that he had had several females, both young and old, come up to him and ask if they could apply for 'The Job'. Sarutobi had no idea what 'The Job' could be though. As far as he knew, he had no job openings for people to be applying for. Not for civilians at least.

Now that he was finally home, the old man sighed wearily as he removed his Hokage robes. He was looking forward to taking a long relaxing shower and then going to bed. As he laid out the white robe on top of his bed, he heard a strange crackling sound. Curiously, he lifted the robe up again and heard the same sound only less pronounced this time. Frowning, the old man turned the robe around to see the back, and to his great surprise, found a piece of paper taped to his back. Noticing there was writing on it, the Sandaime read through it, his pipe falling out of his mouth once he did.

_ATTENTION_

_Seeking Live In Nurse To Take Care Of This_

_Feeble, Half Dead Old Man._

_Advisory To All Applicants__._

_There Is A High Risk Of Him_

_Dying On The Toilet._

Sarutobi stared at the note for several minutes. His mouth opening and closing like a fish. After what seemed like an eternity, the old man finally cleared his head enough for one surprising thought to enter the normally kindly old man's mind.

'_Revenge will be mine!_'

**A/N:** And there we have the longest chapter in this story so far. Of course, since this is only the fourth one, that really doesn't say much does it.


	5. Destined Encounters? Maybe

A/N:

**A/N:** Okay, I'm gonna warn you all now that this chap is after a time jump. There will be things that are unsaid that happened throughout the year that will be explained later by flash backs or just some back history. Why…because I'm to freaking lazy to do a chap or two dedicated to that year, that's why.

Just thought I'd throw that out there before anyone starts asking about it.

Anyway, hope you like the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Do any of you readers own Naruto…anyone…well neither do I, so we can share the suffering.

**Chapter 5:** Destined Encounters…Maybe

"I'm telling you, Kiba, there is no greater food on the entire _planet_ than Ramen!" Naruto's loud voice rang out.

"And I'm telling _you_ that red meat is better! Something you should consider eating more of." Kiba growled. "You'll probably kill yourself with the amount you of Ramen you devour in one sitting!"

"There's meat in Ramen!" Naruto argued defensively. "Besides, at least I'll die happy if I die eating ramen!"

"That's true, Naruto. Ramen is truly a happy food. Those who eat it are blessed with joy and fulfillment as the thick yet tender noodles slide down your throat followed by a flavorful mixture of seasoned broth. That is why there are no evil people amongst ramen lovers." Chouji said sagely, his head down and eyes closed in reverence.

"Both of you have some serious issues!" Kiba growled as Akamaru barked his agreement.

"Would you three please _shut up_." Hinata said in annoyance as she looked up from her book. "You've been having the same argument almost every day for nearly a _year_. Can't you think of something _new_ to argue about?"

"I won't give up until Kiba accepts that Ramen is the most wonderful thing Kami has ever given us lowly, undeserving mortals!" Naruto declared striking a proud pose.

"Which is _never_ gonna happen!" Kiba yelled.

Hinata shook her head in exasperation. "Why did I ever start hanging around all of you?"

"I believe you said that it was because we're the only ones that don't treat like some sort of dignitary. Which is something you've always hated because it made you feel old." Chouji offered helpfully, earning a glare from Hinata.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan!" Naruto smirked and threw his arm over her shoulder. "We're your 'Buddies'! We don't treat you like the old lady you act like." His reward was a swift elbow to the gut that left him gasping for air before the girl picked him up by the front of his shirt glaring murderously into his eyes with her _Byakugan_ activated.

"Would you care to repeat that, Naruto-kun?" She asked in a dangerously sweet voice.

Naruto was sweating bullets as he gulped. "W-whatever are you talking about? Dear, sweet, forgiving, Hinata-chan who in _no_ way acts _anything_ like an old lady!"

Hinata smiled approvingly and impudently patted Naruto on the head. "Well aren't you sweet." She said before dropping him unceremoniously on the ground and picking up her book again.

"I thought I was gonna die." Naruto muttered as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"How many times is it that she's almost killed you now? Like sixty? You'd think you would have learned by now." Kiba said as he drug his hand down his face in exasperation while Chouji nodded his agreement.

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Naruto replied.

"Well now that we've established that Naruto is gonna live to see tomorrow, could all of you _shut the hell up_ so I can get my ass handed to me in relative peace?" Jagaa snapped at them as he glared murderously down at the Shougi table in front of him while Shikamaru yawned on the other side.

"You're playing him _again_, Nii-san?" Naruto asked in surprise. "How many times have you lost already?"

"For the sake of my pride, I've blocked all previous losses from memory." Jagaa responded with growl before reaching out and moving one of his pieces. Taking a bored glance at the table, Shikamaru reached out and lazily moved his own piece.

"Check Mate."

"GAAAAHHHHH! HOW THE FUCK DOES HE ALWAYS WIN!?"

It was a scenario that had played out within Naruto and Jagaa's two room apartment many times over the course of the last year.

After the Hokage had arranged for Naruto and Jagaa to live in their current apartment, Naruto and Kiba had started staying over at each other's homes constantly. After some time, Naruto had invited Chouji and Shikamaru over as well so that they could meet Jagaa. At some point after the introductions (though for some odd reason nobody could remember how or why) Jagaa and Shikamaru had decided to play a game of Shougi. The result was Jagaa being horribly destroyed by a boy that didn't even seem to be trying.

Of course (as Shikamaru admitted to Naruto later) it might not have been so easy if Jagaa didn't seem to have such a 'Kill everything' mentality when he played. The young genius then paled when Naruto told him that was more or less Jagaa's philosophy on life.

It was only a couple weeks later that Naruto had invited Hinata (Who had become his only female friend his age due to the fact she never tried to glomp him or kill him for insulting Sasuke) over to hang out with all of them. Soon after, the five of them were hanging out together almost constantly, with Naruto's apartment being the primary source of gathering, and it had remained that way for the rest of the year.

"So, is everyone ready for tomorrow?" Chouji asked as munched on a bag of potato chips.

"HELL YEAH!" Naruto yelled causing everyone one to wince at the volume. "It's gonna be so easy to become a Genin!"

Jagaa was putting off an _extremely_ irritated aura as he faced Naruto. "How much will it take to get you to fail the test?"

"Hah! You couldn't afford to buy _that_ much Ramen!"

Hinata looked up from her book curiously. "You don't want Naruto to become a Genin?"

"You're fucking right I don't want him to become a Genin!" Jagaa practically snarled.

Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji all looked at each other in confusion before looking to the pair of blondes. "Why?" They asked in synch. Jagaa's response was to turn away with a grunt while Naruto started snickering. "That's because, Nii-san accidentally agreed to become a Jounin for Konoha when I became a Genin."

A small, yet intimidating amount of killing intent radiated off the scarred man. "Do I have to remind you just _whose_ fault that is?" Jagaa said menacingly. Naruto gulped and backed away while smiling nervously.

"Would it really be so bad to become a Konoha Jounin?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why the fuck would I want to be stuck in this shithole for the rest of my life!?" Jagaa almost shouted at the children who all flinched away instinctively. Taking a few deep breaths, Jagaa picked up his sword from the wall and started for the door. "I'm going drinking!"

"Nii-san, it's too early for you to go drinking." Naruto frowned disapprovingly.

Jagaa turned and gazed at Naruto steadily. "Let me put it this way. Either _I_ go drinking, or _we_ go _training_."

"WellhavefundrinkingNii-sanseeyalater!" Naruto yelled out as he shoved Jagaa out the door and slammed it behind him. Sliding down to the floor Naruto started taking long deep breaths.

Kiba looked at the panting blonde before turning back to the other three. "If for some reason I ever decide that I want to be trained by Jagaa. Please kill me."

After taking a look at Naruto themselves, the others nodded in agreement.

X X X X X

Inside a lounge made exclusively for the Jounin of Konoha, a group of such individuals had gathered together.

"So the finals are tomorrow, eh?" A bearded Jounin, Sarutobi Asuma, asked as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"Indeed! Tomorrow will be the day that more of Konoha's youthful children will step into the bright world of being Shinobi." An eccentric Jounin with _very_ large eyebrows wearing an ugly green jumpsuit named Maito Gai yelled before turning to Kakashi. "Maybe this year you to shall have a team like I do, my Eternal Rival! Then I shall have a chance to prove once and for all that I am indeed the better teacher!"

Kakashi looked up lazily from his book. "Hmm, you say something, Gai?"

"OH MY GOD!" Gai yelled grabbing his head in horror. "There's that 'Hip Attitude' of yours again, Kakashi!"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye before looking back to his book. Asuma chuckled at the masked Jounin. "You sure know how to rile him up, Kakashi." He said as he took another drag.

"Asuma, could you at least not smoke when you are inside?" A woman named Yuuhi Kurenai said with her blood red eyes narrowed disapprovingly.

"Ah lighten up, Kurenai-chan." A plum color haired woman wearing a long brown trench coat and a revealing fishnet body suit said casually as she pulled a dango off the stick in her hand. "It's just a bit of smoke. Besides, I'm more interested in finding out if _I'll_ be able to get a team this year."

"Considering that you told the Hokage that your idea for a good final test would be to drop the kids off in the forest of death for a day and see if they survived, I don't think you have much chance at getting a team, Anko." Kurenai said bluntly.

Anko pouted and took another bite of Dango with a huff.

"Say, Kakashi." Asuma said to the masked man. "Speaking of my old man, he's been saying something about getting a new Jounin based on the outcome of the finals. You know anything about that?"

Kakashi looked up from his book with a smile. "That's true. If Uzumaki Naruto becomes a Genin then Jagaa, his guardian for the last five years, will become a Jounin."

"This is wonderful news!" Gai cried out. "We shall soon have a new 'Youthful' comrade in arms! I'm sure the Flames of His Youth will burn powerfully as a Jounin of Konoha!"

"We'll see." Kakashi smiled, deciding to keep the _technicalities_ surrounding Jagaa's agreement a secret.

"So what's this guy like?" Asuma asked.

Kakashi tilted his head. "Hmm, I guess the best way to describe Jagaa would be…"

Kakashi was interrupted by a loud crash that drew his, and the rest of the occupants of the lounge, attention just in time to see a body fly across the room and slam against the wall before slumping unconsciously on the floor surrounded by wooden splinters. As the rest of the Jounin quickly prepared for an attack, Kakashi just smiled. "He has a quick temper." He finished.

The other Jounin glanced at the silver haired man in confusion before watching the doorway warily. Soon after, a young man wearing all black and dark sunglasses walked through the fragments of what used to be a door as he adjusted the sword on his back.

"All you had to do was politely tell me that this was a lounge exclusively for the Jounin of Konoha and I would have left." Jagaa growled. "But no, you had to be an asshole about it on a day when I'm already in a lousy mood."

With an irritated sigh, Jagaa reached into his pouch and pulled out a wad of bills that he then tossed to the man behind the bar. "That should cover the repairs to your door. Though if you don't want it to happen again, I suggest you hire a new doorman." The bartender could only nod dumbly.

"You certainly have a way of making a first impression on your future colleagues, Jagaa." Kakashi called out easily as he stood up and pocketed his orange novel.

"_He's _Jagaa!" Anko yelled looking over to Kakashi. At the man's confirming nod she looked back and licked her lips with a lustful glint in her eyes. "Me like." Behind her, Kurenai rolled her eyes at the other woman.

Jagaa turned and faced the masked man with a surprised raise of his eyebrows. "Kakashi?" His surprise instantly became irritation as he stalked toward the masked Jounin. "Why the hell do I always run into you?"

Kakashi smiled. "I guess we just keep crossing paths on the road of life."

A slight twitch of Jagaa's eyebrows indicated he was probably rolling his eyes. "Whatever, just tell me where I can go to get some Sake. A _lot_ of Sake."

Before Kakashi could answer, he was cut off by a loud voice. "Ah, so you are the one who shall be joining us in our 'Youthfulness' as Jounin of Konoha." Gai yelled out exuberantly. "In that case, you should stay and drink with us so that all of our 'Flames of Youth' will burn together and make us closer comrades."

Jagaa looked at Gai with his eyebrows raised before turning to Kakashi. "Is this guy okay?"

Kakashi just shrugged.

"Despite his strange way of saying it, Gai has the right idea." Asuma said with a puff from his cigarette. "It wouldn't hurt to get to know each other over a couple drinks." As Jagaa turned to him Asuma felt a strange sensation, as if something had just lightly brushed his skin. He didn't have time to think on it though since Jagaa was already speaking.

"No thanks." Jagaa said bluntly. "I'm still trying to find a way _out_ of that damned deal. So getting acquainted with everyone isn't on my priority list."

"You mean you don't actually _want_ to be part of the village?" Asuma asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

"You got that fucking right. Why the hell would I want to stay in this village full of self-righteous hypocrites? If I can somehow convince Naruto to throw the test I'll be out of here in less time than it take's Kakashi to blow his load…and that's saying something."

Anko burst out laughing at Jagaa's insult to Kakashi, while the man himself got a tick in his visible eye. "I take it you're still a bit upset with me?"

"Ya think?" Jagaa growled. "To be perfectly honest I'm not sure whose ass I want to kick more right now, yours or the geezer's."

"Excuse me." Kurenai cut in frostily from the side. "But who are _you_ to say such things about our village? You've even gone so far as to disrespect our Hokage. You don't even wear the Konoha Hitai-ate, so what do you think gives you the right to judge us?"

Jagaa turned and focused on the woman before smirking lightly. "That's quite the scary tone you have there, Princess."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed and most of the Jounin in the room started backing away slowly in fear of what the woman might do. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, _not_ 'Princess'."

"Oh, forgive me." Jagaa's voice was laced with sarcasm. "I guess it was that 'I'm so much better than you' tone you had that made me think you must be some snobbish princess." A small smirk came to life on Jagaa's lips. "I guess you're actually just an Icy Bitch."

Kurenai's eyes widened before growing furious. "How dare you!" She snarled as her hands moved to start forming seals, but had not even finished the first one before she was forcefully slammed against the wall with her hands crossed at the wrist above her and being held in place by Jagaa's left one. Bringing his face in close, he growled low and dangerously. "Don't even try it, _Princess_." His tone sent a chill down Kurenai's spine as she stared at her startled image reflected in his dark sunglasses.

The other Jounin all stood and prepared to step in, but _only_ if Jagaa appeared to be about to hurt her. As it stood, Jagaa had done nothing more than defend himself from _her_ attack. So unless he became dangerous, they had no justification for interfering.

"Let's get one thing clear, Princess. I am _not_ one of these pansies you're used to dealing with, and I _don't_ let people attack me just because they don't like what I have to say. You try it again, and I won't be so nice." Jagaa's lips formed a smirk and he leaned even closer so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Or maybe…you actually _like_ it rough."

All of Kurenai's apprehension vanished as her teeth clenched. Wrenching her leg up she aimed a knee for Jagaa's gut, but he had already jumped back having expected the reaction. Kurenai's anger only grew when she saw that Jagaa was grinning. "Are you mocking me!?"

"Would I do that?" Jagaa asked with an innocent smile.

Kurenai's eyes narrowed and her teeth ground audibly. Off to the side, Anko was laughing her ass off making Kurenai glare at her. Instead of being intimidated the woman just laughed harder. With a growl of annoyance, Kurenai turned to yell at Jagaa again…only to find he wasn't there anymore.

"I'll take two bottles." Jagaa's voice came from the side. She looked over to see him being handed two Sake bottles by the bartender and clenched her fists. "What the hell are you doing!?" She yelled.

Jagaa turned his face to her with his eyebrows raised. "I'm buying Sake, duh."

Kurenai thought she was going to break her teeth in her effort not to try and attack him again, or Anko for that matter seeing as the woman was _still_ laughing. "Well get back over here so I can finish yelling at you!" If she had been a little calmer, she might have realized just how childish that sounded.

"Uhmm, what's the word I'm looking for?" Jagaa mused.

"I'd rather not." Kakashi offered helpfully. Kurenai glared at him, but Kakashi just smiled.

"That's three words, but it's more polite than what I was thinking, so let's go with yours." Jagaa replied with his own smile.

If looks could kill, Jagaa and Kakashi would have been nothing but piles of melted goo.

"Sir, please take another bottle, on the house, in apology for our doorman's rudeness." The bar keeper said, holding out another bottle. With a pleased grin, Jagaa took the bottle from the man's hand. "Why thank you."

As it happened, it was at the exact moment that the bartender had offered Jagaa the extra bottle that Maito Gai popped up beside him frowning disapprovingly. "Jagaa-san, it is very unyouthful for you to treat Kurenai-san in such a manner! Although I admire how powerfully your flames burn, I must insist that you apologize to our fair Kunoichi!"

Unfortunately, Jagaa had only half heard the exuberant Jounin, and in response did the only thing he felt appropriate at the time as he turned to face the man. "Did you say something?"

The effect was instantaneous. Gai's body turned stony white and his face froze in a look of horror, Kakashi's book slipped from his hand, Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief, Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth, and Anko fell onto the floor laughing so hard that people started to wonder if she would survive.

Jagaa shifted his attention around at the shocked Jounin with an annoyed expression. "Okay, what'd I do this time?"

Kakashi made a miraculous recovery and appeared in front of Jagaa with a look of glee in his eye that actually scared the scarred man. Grasping Jagaa's hand with both of his own, Kakashi started shaking it furiously. "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" The masked man yelled with a tear in his eye. "I never thought this day would come! I finally have an ally."

"I don't suppose you'd care to explain your sudden happiness?" Jagaa asked in annoyance as he struggled to keep from dropping the three bottles he was holding in his left arm.

Kakashi's eye was positively dancing in its socket. "Nope, I'd hate to ruin the surprise."

Jagaa's eyebrow twitched. "Why do I get the feeling that my desire to kill you is going to increase exponentially soon?"

"Yeah, it probably will, but you won't do it for the same reason I'm so happy right now." Kakashi smiled.

"I hate you."

"Mah, whatever." Kakashi proceeded to start dragging Jagaa out the door. "I _can_ tell you that we need to get out of here before he regains what little sense he has. Why don't we go drinking together?"

"Fine, but you're buying your own booze." Jagaa said in a tone that was surprisingly calm considering his several declarations of wanting to kill the other man.

"Cheapskate." Kakashi pouted.

"Mind if I join you? Even if you don't want to be a Konoha Nin, I think I'd still like to get to know you a bit." Asuma asked as he walked up to them. Jagaa just shrugged in response.

"I wanna go too!" Anko yelled as she miraculously appeared on Jagaa's back. "Take me with you, Jagaa-chan!"

If Jagaa was surprised at the plum haired Kunoichi's sudden appearance on his back, he hid it well as he turned his head back to face her. "Jagaa-_chan_? Why the hell am I _chan_?"

Anko smirked mischievously. "You're gonna be 'Chan' until you prove it wrong."

Jagaa's eyebrow quirked. "Well well, that sounds like a challenge."

"Oh, but it is."

Jagaa smirked back at her. "You're on."

Kurenai was glaring at Jagaa as he bantered and a frightening though entered her mind. "Don't tell me you're just like _Anko_!" She almost yelled at the man.

Jagaa shifted his face to Kurenai then back to Anko. "Am I like you?"

"Let's find out through drinking and sex!" Anko crowed happily.

Jagaa raised his eyebrows at the woman before turning back to Kurenai. "Yep, we're a lot alike."

It took all the control Kurenai had not to smack herself in the forehead.

"Come oooonnnnnnn!" Anko whined, shaking Jagaa's shoulders like a six year old. "Let's go to the bar already!"

Jagaa, Kakashi, and Asuma just shook their heads before turning to leave. Kakashi having some how acquired one of Jagaa's Sake bottles and Anko another, giving each of the three something to drink on the walk while Asuma puffed away on his cigarette. Without looking back, Jagaa called over his shoulder to Kurenai. "See you later, Princess. _Much_ later if I'm lucky. Don't' want to risk frostbite by being around you to much after all."

Kurenai was grinding her teeth so hard she was afraid she'd have to go see a dentist afterward. She decided right then and there, that she did _not_ like that man.

X X X X X

It was around half an hour later that Maito Gai finally came out of his horror induced shock and cried out to the heavens.

"OH MY GOD!! TWO PEOPLE WITH SUCH HIP ATTITUDES! I SHALL NOW DECLARE THEM _BOTH_ MY ETERNAL RIVALS AND SHALL DEFEAT THEM IN ORDER TO PROVE MY 'SHININGPOWER OF YOOOUUUTTTTHHHH'!!"

At that moment, Jagaa felt a chill run down his spine for some unknown reason. As soon as Kakashi saw the scarred young man start looking around in confusion he smiled gleefully beneath his mask.

Finally, someone would share his pain.

X X X X X

"Hmm, what should I do now?" Naruto asked himself as he walked through the streets of Konoha. About an hour after Jagaa had left, the rest of his friends had needed to go home as well. Kiba had to help his sister, Hana, take care of the kennels today. Hinata had some sort of formal dinner she had to be at. Shikamaru had muttered something about troublesome women with loud voices before he left. With finally Chouji saying he had to get back home for dinner.

That left Naruto alone in the apartment with a few hours of light left, and Naruto wasn't good at sitting idly when he could be out doing something. Unfortunately, he had left the apartment without knowing exactly _what_ he wanted to do. So now he was simply wandering the streets aimlessly while hoping to be hit with some sort of inspiration.

He saw an elderly couple glare at him as he passed by, but he really didn't care. He could live with glares. It was the attacks that scared him. However, he was happy to say that ever since that first night back when Jagaa scared all those villagers, not only had mobs stopped coming after him, but no one had tried to hurt him in any way. They even stopped overcharging him when he went into stores. He didn't think that just one scare from Jagaa would be enough to change people that much. It was incredible.

Of course what he didn't know was that after Jagaa and Tsume had had their _introduction_ a year ago (both of them agreeing that it would be best to just pretend it never happened and that Kiba and Naruto were to _never_ find out about it) Tsume had promised Jagaa that her and her clan would support him in protecting Naruto, even if she had to force them. Surprisingly, she didn't have to, and once word had gotten around to the villagers that not only Jagaa, but the entire Inuzuka clan (a clan also not known for their restraint in dealing with people who angered them due to their animalistic nature) was protecting Naruto, they decided it would be a good idea not to push their luck.

His wanderings eventually brought the blonde boy within the sight of the training grounds. With a grin, Naruto decided that doing some light training would be a good way to pass the time and headed into the nearest field. As he walked into the area, he saw a great deal of well used targets nailed to trees and wooden figures resembling humans planted into the ground. He realized that it must be a projectile weapons practice area and his smile widened at his luck. He had always found throwing Kunai and Shuriken to be relaxing. There was just something about the feel of the metal weapons leaving your hand to be followed by the dull sound of wood being pierced that brought about a strange sense of tranquility.

_Thunk Thunk Thunk_

Naruto was brought out of his reverie by the very sound he had been planning to be the one creating. Taking a quick look around it seemed as if he was the only one in the area, but the continuous sound of metal striking wood countered that perception. Letting his curiosity drive him, Naruto started following the sounds while at the same time, being careful not to accidentally walk in front of any targets and become a target himself.

It only took about a minute for Naruto's ears to tell him that his company was just on the other side of the small cluster of trees he was coming up on. Still being cautious of any possibly incoming Kunai, Naruto worked his way through the trees. As he moved around the last tree blocking his way, he stopped and stared at what he saw.

In the middle of a clearing with targets set on most of the surrounding trees, there was a girl that appeared to be about Naruto's age. She was wearing a pink, Chinese style shirt and loose green pants with a weapons pouch strapped to her right leg. Her brown hair was pulled up to form two bun shapes on the top of her head and a Konoha _Hitai-ate_ covered her forehead. Naruto would be the first to admit that she was attractive, but it wasn't her looks that had stopped him cold on sight. It was her skill.

Every throw she made was graceful and elegant. Every twist of her body and bend of her back as she smoothly let each weapon fly made it almost appear as if she was dancing. The weapons in her hands would vanish almost as soon as she pulled them out with a smooth flick of her wrist, flying with deadly accuracy into her targets before she would gracefully spin and let several more weapons fly with the same lethal grace. Kunai, Shuriken, Senbon Needles, all flew just as smooth and just as accurate from her delicate fingers. Even from where he stood, Naruto could see the focus in the girls chocolate brown eyes and he was amazed at how serious she was. Since he had arrived at Konoha, it had seemed like every girl he met (with the exception of Hinata) didn't really take being a Kunoichi seriously and acted like it was some kind of game.

The girl before him was nothing like that. He could tell just by the way she moved that she not only took it seriously, but that it meant something to her. There was a drive in her eyes, a desire to succeed, to be the best. He could see it clearly, because he had seen it in his own eyes before when he would look into the mirror and tell himself that he would be the Hokage no matter what it took.

Naruto could only stare silently as the girl continued her graceful dance of blades until she leapt into the air and with one twirl of motion sent a final barrage weapons at targets in nearly every direction, not one failing to hit its mark. She landed in an elegant crouch with her hands spread out to her sides like an eagle in flight and let out a contented sigh as she slowly stood up again.

That was when Naruto started clapping.

The girl whirled on him, a new Kunai already in hand as her eyes focused on him in suspicion. Even as Naruto raised his hands peacefully (and somewhat defensively), he was once again amazed by the professionalism of the girl in front of him. Even though she was only training, she had not used _all_ of her weapons, making sure to have a few left on hand just in case. Always being prepared was something Jagaa had started drilling into Naruto's head from the first day of training, so it was easy for him to understand why. What impressed him though was that it wasn't something that most other Genin could seem to understand.

Keeping his hands raised, Naruto walked forward with his big foxy grin in place. "Heh heh, sorry about startling you, I was just really impressed. You're really good."

The girl seemed to relax slightly, but she kept the Kunai in hand. "That's okay, but you should be careful about startling me when I'm training. You're lucky I didn't skewer you." She emphasized her statement by pointing the Kunai at him.

Naruto laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah, good point. I'll try to remember that next time."

The girl's eyebrow rose curiously. "Next time? Are you planning to make a habit out of spying on me?"

Naruto faltered as he realized that he really _had_ sounded like some kind of stalker. "Wha…no, that's not what I meant. I was just, uh…" He wasn't really happy with himself at the moment. He had been hoping to talk to this girl and maybe get to know her, but now it looked like he'd be lucky to just get her to believe he wasn't some sort of pervert who spied on girls. His internal rant was cut off by the amused laughter of the girl in front of him.

"Jeez, I didn't think you'd take it so seriously. I was just messing with you." She said a smile gracing her lips as she put the kunai away "You were almost as bad as my teammate, Lee. Only he would started yelling about how he would never do that because of how 'Unyouthful' it would be to spy on someone."

"Well excuuuusssseeee me if I was a little afraid of ticking off the girl that could probably turn me into a pin cushion." Naruto huffed, looking away and folding his arms.

Tenten walked over and impudently petted Naruto's head. "Oh, poor little kid."

"Who you calling 'Little Kid'?" Naruto growled pushing her hand away. "You're probably the same age as me."

The girl's eyes widened. "Really? You're so short though. You look like your ten at the oldest."

"I'M TWLEVE!" Naruto shouted. "And I'm not short, I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet!"

The bun haired girl just shrugged before smiling cheekily. "Whatever. Besides, even if you really are twelve, I'm thirteen. So you're still just a kid to me."

"That's a load of crap!" Naruto protested defiantly. "Fine, if want to be like that then I challenge you to a 'Throw Down'!"

The girl's eyebrows rose in confusion. "A 'Throw Down'? You mean like a fight?"

Naruto paused and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, it's more like a 'Throw _Off_'. You know, where we see who can throw weapons the best. But Nii-san said that 'Throw Off' sounded queer."

The girl looked at the boy in disbelief. "Are you serious? There's no way you could beat me in weapons." She glanced around the training area pointedly. "Weapons are my specialty in case you couldn't tell."

Naruto grinned wolfishly. "Good, that'll just make it all the sweeter when I beat you."

"Oh, is that so?" The girl crossed her arms challengingly. "Well we'll just have to see about that won't we. So do I get to know the name of the boy I'm about to humiliate?"

"Uzumaki Naruto! That's the name of the victor today!" He boasted proudly.

"My name's Tenten." The girl's expression became smug. "The one who's going to knock those words back down your throat."

"We'll see about that!" Naruto challenged back.

Both grinning confidently, they each pulled out their weapons and the challenge commenced.

X X X X X

About one hour later, the sun was just starting to set on the horizon as Naruto and the girl lay on the ground panting and grinning. Though, Naruto's grin wasn't _quite_ as wide as the girl beside him due to the fact he had just lost…horribly. He couldn't believe that anyone could be _that_ good with weapons. Not just Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon Needles though, also Sickles, Axes, Sai, Swords, Spears, and anything else that happened to come out of those scrolls of hers. Everything she threw hit the dead center of the bull's-eye every single time. It had been incredible (if not a bit irritating) to see.

Tenten herself was extremely impressed with Naruto's skill as well. She had tested her skills against other Genin multiple times before, but none of them, not even her teammate, Neji, had been able to keep it so close. While the blonde boy still had a long way to go before he have a real shot at actually _beating_ her, it was impressive enough that he had made her have to focus. That didn't mean she wasn't going to gloat though.

"So," Tenten said, propping her self up on her elbows and looking down at Naruto, "are you ready to surrender yet?"

"Hell no! Uzumaki Naruto _never_ gives up!" Naruto declared proudly, still lying on the ground. He turned his head and looked around at the targets hit by all her perfect shots along with all his good, but _not_ perfect shots, before turning back to face her and grinning sheepishly. "Buuuuttttt, he _does_ know when to make a tactical retreat until he actually has a chance at winning."

Tenten laughed musically and looked down at Naruto playfully. "Bring it on any time, Chibi."

"Quit calling me Chibi!" Naruto growled, still a bit too tired to actually yell.

"Why? Not only are you shorter than me," Tenten gave him a quick once over and smirked at his lack of _Hitai-ate_, "but you're also not even a Genin yet. I think I have every right to call you Chibi."

"I graduate tomorrow. So you can't hold that one against me." Naruto's tired voice sounding more factual than argumentive.

"Well you're still short." Tenten answered bluntly. Naruto tried to glare at her, but Tenten countered by putting her finger to her chin innocently and managing to make her self look ridiculously cute. Naruto found it more than a little unfair.

"Whatever." He said in exasperation as he slowly climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. "I'm gonna go home now. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." He was just turning around to leave when Tenten grabbed his shoulder and spun him back, forcing Naruto to stare directly into a devastating 'Puppy Eyes' attack.

"You're not really going to leave me to pick up all these weapons _alone_ are you?" Tenten's lip was quivering and her eyes were starting to get teary. "How could you be so cruel?"

"GAAHHH!" Naruto screamed covering his eyes. "STOP! STOP! I'LL HELP YOU PICK THEM UP!"

"Great!" Tenten squealed delightedly, dropping her attack and running over to the nearest tree to start pulling out Kunai. "But we better get started now, other wise we're going to be here all night."

Naruto passed a hand over his eyes in exasperation. This girl was just too much. Walking over to a different tree, he started pulling out the many Shuriken that were embedded in the trunk. '_I better make sure Nii-san doesn't find out I was alone with a girl after dark. That pervert would never let me hear the end of it."_

X X X X X

At that moment in a bar across town, Jagaa sneezed just as he was about to take a drink of Sake, causing it to spill all over him. "Ah, for the love of…grrr." Jagaa growled as he grabbed several napkins and furiously wiped at the liquid.

"Somebody must be talking about you." Kakashi said with a smile as he took a sip of Sake so fast that no one even saw him lower his mask.

"And I willing to bet I know what little loudmouth it is." Jagaa replied in a low growl as he signaled the bartender to bring him another bottle. "By the way, does she do that often?" He asked, making a motion his head at Anko who was pole-dancing on the bar in nothing but her fishnet body suit.

"She's fairly well known for it." Asuma said from beside Kakashi. The three of them were sitting at the bar with Jagaa on the far right, Kakashi in the middle, and Asuma taking up the left. Anko had at one point been sitting on Jagaa's right, but after a few rounds of heavy drinking, she had decided she felt like dancing. Hence the crowd of horny men standing a little ways down and drooling as she twisted and slid along the pole like a sensual serpent, her eyes narrowed provocatively and a seductive smirk on her lips.

"She's pretty good at it, I have to admit." Jagaa said as he sipped his Sake before turning his head to the other two males. "So exactly why did you all want to come drinking with me? It sure as hell can't be because of my 'Charming' personality."

"Well, I'm here because I wanted to get to know the guy my old man has been talking about." Asuma said as he inhaled some smoke. "I don't know why, but he seems to be both pleased that you're here, and incredibly irritated with you at the same time. I've also heard him mutter something about revenge and serving it cold a couple of times. I don't suppose you know what that's about?"

Jagaa's evil smile was enough to make Asuma decide it would be better if he didn't know.

"I'm here to celebrate that I have a new comrade in suffering, as well as try to get on your good side before anything else happens that increases your desire to kill me." Kakashi said with his eye smiling. Jagaa turned to the one eyed Jounin suspiciously.

"So when are you going to tell me what that means? You know something, Kakashi, and I don't think it only has to do with that weirdo from the bar. What are you hiding?" Jagaa questioned accusingly, but Kakashi simply continued to smile.

"Oh, I may know a _few_ things the Hokage has planned, but I would hate to ruin anything by giving away the surprise too soon." '_Not to mention that the Hokage would skin me alive if I did._' Kakashi finished mentally.

"I hate you." Jagaa growled before taking another swig of Sake.

Asuma just chuckled in amusement at them.

"So what about her?" Jagaa asked indicating Anko who was now crawling across the bar sensually. The crowd of men watching her had thinned considerably due to most of them having passed out from excessive bleeding of the nose.

"Ah Anko." Asuma grinned. "Well for one, she just loves to drink and will find any reason to do it. Secondly, I think she…" Asuma was cut off as the very woman he was about to speak for appeared on the bar in front of Jagaa before hoping off to land straddling his lap. Without even a word of warning, she crashed her lips into his passionately.

"…Wants to jump your bones." Kakashi finished for Asuma who was shaking his head at the plum haired woman's antics.

"fo i feemf." (Translation: So it seems.) Jagaa managed to say around Anko's lips.

"I guess we'd better be going now that Anko's reached this point." Asuma said, putting out the remainder of his cigarette. "We'll be seeing you tomorrow when you're presented your _Hitai-ate_ anyway." He could almost feel Jagaa's glare.

"Don't forget, Jagaa." Kakashi smiled. "The presentation is at nine p.m." Kakashi was having a similar sensation as Asuma.

"Mmph cn sll hof hn fls." (Translation: I can still hope he fails.) Jagaa 'mmphd' out through Anko's continuous assault.

"Well you can hope, but I'm pretty sure you know that he's _not _going to." Kakashi said still smiling. "And you have only yourself to thank for that."

"Mmph ht oo." (Translation: I hate you.)

"So you've said." Kakashi's smile widened as he waved in good bye. Asuma gave Jagaa the two finger salute before following Kakashi out the door.

Jagaa wanted to be irritated with them. He _really_ did. But there was just something about having a _very_ well endowed woman pressing into his chest doing _very_ impressive things in his mouth with her tongue that just made holding onto anger kind of difficult. Anko finally broke off her attack on his mouth and stared at him with lust and hunger shining clear in her eyes. '_Well, at least there are _some_ benefits to being in this village._' Jagaa thought with a smirk before speaking out loud to Anko. "So…your place or mine?" His answer was Anko grabbing her trench coat from the stool next to them and start forcefully dragging him to the door with a large, eager grin.

'_I'll take that to mean 'whichever ones closer'._' Jagaa thought in amusement as he stumbled along trying to keep pace with the woman dragging him.

X X X X X

Naruto yawned widely as he stumbled tiredly along the road. He still couldn't believe she had carried _that_ many weapons in those scrolls of hers. If Naruto hadn't remembered that he could use _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_ the two of them would have probably been out their all night, instead of a couple hours.

Although, he wasn't sure if he would have complained too much about being stuck out all night with Tenten. She _was_ attractive after all, and her seriousness about being a Kunoichi was admirable, even if her personality was a little hard to handle. He was hoping he could run into her more often in the days to come.

He was also planning to ask Jagaa to increase his weapons training…a lot.

After what felt like an eternity of walking to the tired blonde, Naruto finally reached the front door of his apartment. Once inside, Naruto kicked off his sandals and stumbled his way into his room, falling on his bed with a heavy thump and passing out almost immediately, blissfully unaware of the muffled noises that had been coming through the wall of Jagaa's room.

**A/N:** Well, there's the newest chap. To be honest, I'm not really satisfied with the way Naruto and Tenten met, but it was the only one that worked the best for the future interactions they will be having. If you can't tell, they are going to have more of a 'Friendly Rivalry' going before anything romantic is going to happen. Also, don't expect any intimacy or confessions of love for a good while. After all, they need time to get to know each other, be put in embarrassing situations, ect.

Also, I'm sure you can guess (especially if you've read my other fic) who Jagaa is going to be paired up with, but for those of you who can't, it will be Kurenai.

Sorry to all who might have been hoping for Anko, but I stand by my decision. Besides, Anko and Jagaa's personalities mesh _way_ too well for them not to at least become friends (with benefits coughcough) so there will be plenty of Jagaa/Anko interaction as well. I just can't see either of them being able to really have a romantic relationship though because of those same personalities.

That's all for now, see ya all next time.


	6. Knowing Why

Naruto was in a good mood when he woke up the next morning

**A/N:** All right, here is the Beta read version of chap6. Now I'm only _half_ responsible for any discovered mistakes. Heh heh. Just kidding Bain. Anyway, hope you all enjoy it if you haven't read it already.

**Disclaimer: **It is possible, that in some parallel universe, I actually do own Naruto and am making tons of money off of it. Unfortunately, this universe is not so kind.

**Chapter 6: **Knowing Why

Naruto was in a good mood when he woke up. He couldn't remember what he'd dreamed about, but he was sure it had been enjoyable. His good mood only increased when he remembered what day it was.

It was Graduation day.

With a huge foxy grin, Naruto quickly got dressed and practically dashed out of his room, still tying his blue bandana around his head as he walked into the small kitchen area. He saw Jagaa already sitting at the table wearing only his pants and sunglasses, clearly revealing his heavily scarred torso as he sipped on a cup of coffee while listening to the radio.

"Hey Nii-san!" Naruto greeted happily as he walked past his older brother and opened up the cupboard that held his ramen. He was just about to reach in and grab a cup of his beloved food, when a butter knife impaled the door, only _just_ missing Naruto's hand, and slammed it closed. His face paling at the near loss of his finger, Naruto turned to see Jagaa with his arm still extended from the throw calmly taking a sip of his coffee without even facing Naruto.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" The scarred man said as he lowered his arm. "No ramen for breakfast."

"But NNiiiii-ssaaaaannnnn, today's a special day." Naruto whined. Seeing Jagaa's hand start inching for the fork still sitting on the table, Naruto quickly started waving his hands in front of him. "Okay! Okay! I'll eat something else." Grumbling Naruto moved to another cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal. After pouring himself a bowl and putting in as much milk as he possibly could before it spilled over, Naruto moved over and took a seat opposite of Jagaa.

As he ate, Naruto continued to grumble about unfairness towards ramen and how cereal wasn't any healthier, even if you did put milk on it. In response, Jagaa simply continued to sip his coffee, completely ignoring the boy's indignation. Finally giving up due to Jagaa's lack of reaction, Naruto ate his cereal in a pouting silence.

Finishing his bowl about ten minutes later, Naruto drank the milk with a satisfied smile. That was the one thing he liked about cereal, drinking what was left of the milk after it had been filled with the sweet taste of the cereal. It was almost as good as drinking the broth from a bowl of Ramen after finishing the noodles.

Almost.

"Okay, I'm leaving now." Naruto said as he picked up his empty bowl and grinned as he looked over at Jagaa. "You gonna be there to congratulate me at the graduation ceremony, Nii-san?"

Jagaa paused in midway through taking another sip of coffee and focused on Naruto. "Naruto, you might not want to..."

"Sorry, Nii-san," Naruto cut him off quickly, already certain of what the man was about to say, "But I'm not failing the test just so you don't have to honor your agreement to be a Jounin. It's my dream to be Hokage and this is the first step. So you'll just have to deal with it." The boy gave Jagaa a small smirk as he finished before turning around to leave…only to find himself facing a very naked Anko that had been standing directly behind him as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

"Mmm…What's for breakfast?" She asked tiredly, stretching her arms high over her head and arching her back. An act that only made it that much easier to view her exposed breasts.

Naruto stood completely dumbfounded with his eyes locked on the plum haired woman's lush body. At least, for the three seconds before he was launched backwards and over the table by the eruption of blood from his nose, with Jagaa calmly leaning to the side to let the boy sail past and crash into the counter behind him with a loud symphony of splintering wood and shattering glass.

"Maybe next time he'll listen when I try to tell him not to turn around." Jagaa commented idly as he took another sip of coffee.

X X X X X

Approximately an hour later, Naruto had _still_ not stopped blushing from the incident. Of course, it didn't help that after he had finally woken up Jagaa had started making comments on how happy he was that Naruto had _finally_ proven that he wasn't gay, and that the next step was to get him laid. This was quickly followed by the crazy naked lady pressing the poor boy to her bare chest and shouting about how she would be _happy_ to help with that, to which Jagaa gave his full approval.

After fighting back another enormous nose bleed, Naruto ripped himself from the crazy woman's arms and ran with all the speed he could muster for the Academy with the two insane adult's maniacal laughter fading behind him.

Naruto had never been happier to be behind the Academy walls than he was right now.

"Dude, you look like shit." Kiba said as he took the seat next to Naruto. "What the hell happened?"

"I was nearly killed this morning." Naruto cried pathetically, waterfall like tears coursing down his cheeks.

Tensing with worry for his friend, Kiba looked seriously at Naruto. "What happened?"

After a moment of hesitation, Naruto recapped the morning's events to his best friend. However, as soon as he got to the point that he made his escape, that same best friend grabbed the front of his sleeveless jacket and started shaking him violently.

"YOU _RAN AWAY_!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? ARE YOU GAY OR SOMETHING!?"

"Excuse me!" Naruto growled as he stopped Kiba from shaking him and forcibly removed the Inuzuka's hands. "But the fact I almost died from blood loss is proof enough that I'm _not_ gay." He defended. "Besides, I'm almost certain that she was just helping Nii-san tease me!"

"_Almost_?" Kiba questioned accusingly.

"Well she _was_ walking around my apartment naked. Who knows what that crazy woman might have done." Naruto argued.

Kiba smacked himself in the forehead, nearly dislodging Akamaru. "I can't believe you had the type of opportunity that most guys only dream of, and you ran away from it. I've lost respect for you."

"Bite me, Dog Breath. Unlike you, I wasn't horny by the time I was _seven_." Naruto stated pointedly. Kiba just grinned in response. "What can I say? We Inuzuka live close to our instincts." This time it was Naruto's turn to smack himself on the forehead.

"What are the two of you arguing about this time?" Hinata's testy voice reached their ears as she walked over and took one of the remaining seats. With a glare at Kiba, Naruto recapped the morning's events to pale eyed girl. Hinata listened with a curious raise of her eyebrows until Naruto finished before speaking. "You ran away? What are you? Gay?" Naruto's head slammed into the desk in front of him and Kiba started howling with laughter.

"Hinata, why the hell are you acting like Kiba?" Naruto yelled in exasperation. "Aren't girls supposed to get all flushed and embarrassed about something like this?"

Hinata just shrugged bored manner. "Seeing as I am from a Noble clan, there has always been a possibility of my being married off early for either political or social gain. Because of this, I was educated very thoroughly in the matters of sexual intercourse at a young age. I've even been made to sit in and watch various demonstrations of the act in order to prepare me better for my wedding night. The same holds true for my imouto. She is five years younger than me and already has a full understanding of what sex is."

Both boys looked like they were going to have a meltdown at what they were hearing. Hinata's eyes glinted before she smiled mischievously. "Why, just the other day the two of us sat in on a very _open_ couple. Some of the things they were doing were quite _interesting_, to sat the least. For example at one point they…" Hinata was stopped by Naruto and Kiba slapping their hands over her mouth while blushing furiously.

"Stop! Stop! For the love of Kami just STOP!" Naruto cried, mentally screaming about how every one he knew seemed to be a freaking pervert.

Kiba was shaking his head, his cheeks flaming. "I thought I could handle anything, but hearing a girl talk like that is just too much." He muttered to himself.

Behind their hands, Hinata was smirking victoriously.

"Would you three Losers keep it down! You're annoying Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata looked callously to their left where the yell had come from, and ended up in a glaring match with Ino and Sakura who were flanking the brooding Sasuke, the boy himself only giving them a cold look through the corner of his eyes.

"The only thing annoying here is that damn hair color of yours, Haruno!" Kiba growled. "Why don't you try dyeing it…or shaving it off? Either one should help stop my sudden need to puke whenever you're around!"

"At least nobody has to worry about being covered with flees when I'm around, dog boy!" Sakura snarled back.

"No. They just have to worry about being knocked out by that enormous forehead of yours."

"Oh, nice one Butt Sniffer." Ino spoke up. "You're good at using other people's insults at least."

"Who was talking to you? You disgrace to blondes everywhere." Naruto piped up in defense of his friend.

"Go shove your head down a toilet, you whiskered idiot!" Ino glared at the other blonde.

"Hey, leave my birthmarks out of this!" Naruto yelled back with his own glare.

Kiba and Hinata glanced at each other before starting a mental countdown. '_Five, four, three, two, one…_'

"AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IDIOT!?"

There was a loud crash as the students listening fell out of their seats while Kiba and Hinata just sighed. If one were to listen closely, they might have heard the low chuckle that was coming from a certain Uchiha at the blonde's expense.

"QUIET DOWN IN HERE!" Iruka's bellow marked his entrance into the class room. The room instantly quieted down, but not before Naruto managed to hit Sasuke in the back of the head with an eraser out of spite, since he was sure Sasuke had laughed at him even if he hadn't actually heard it.

Glancing sternly around the room, Iruka waited for the last sounds of chatter to die away before clearing his throat loudly. "As you all know, today is the day for the final exams. Should you pass, you will be able to receive your _Hitai-ate_ and enter the world of Ninja as Genin. I expect all of you to give it your best shot and make me proud by passing, with that being said, we will now begin the days finales, starting with the written test." Iruka glanced up and locked eyes with Naruto, and a maliciously gleeful smile came to his lips. "But first, I do believe we have a tradition to maintain."

Naruto's eyes widened to impossible sizes as Iruka pulled out a small box that seemed to be overflowing with evil energy…at least to Naruto. "YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!? THIS IS SABATOGE I SAY! SABOTOGE!"

Grinning wickedly, Iruka drew out the first name.

X X X X X

A few hours later, Naruto was furiously stomping through the grass to his favorite spot to eat lunch with Hinata and Kiba in tow, both of whom were fighting back laughter as Naruto muttered and wiped at his cheek. "Damn Iruka-sensei. I just know he rigged that drawing. He had to of, to get _those_ three of all people sitting next to me on the last day."

The three that had just _happened_ to win the final drawing, turned out to be three of Naruto's biggest Fangirls, as well as the most _forceful_ of them. He couldn't count how many times they had 'Kept him awake' by giving him random kisses on the cheek, neck, forehead, and anywhere else they could get their eager little lips on. Naruto had been forced to keep extreme vigilance in order to protect the chastity of his own lips against their attacks. It had been a tough battle, with his cheeks sustaining heavy causalities, but in the end, victory was his.

At least that's what he told himself in order to feel better as he wiped at the still damp spots on various parts of his face.

"You know, you're gonna rub your face off if you keep wiping like that." Kiba said, the smirk in his voice clearly evident.

"So what? It's been contaminated anyway." Naruto whined, much to his friends' amusement.

"Ah, you shouldn't say things like that. You'll hurt their feelings." Kiba grinned as he threw his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the large mass of girls that were following them, known to many as the 'Naruto Faction' or 'NF' for short. Naruto shuddered as he watched them 'Stealthily' dart from tree to tree in their attempts to stalk him.

"Why can't they just go back to stalking the Teme? What did I ever do to deserve this?" Naruto whined toward the heavens.

"Maybe it was that time you painted the Hokage monument to make them all look like clowns, and then put a big oval next to the Yondaime with the words '_Insert Uzumaki Naruto's face here_'." Hinata pointed out.

Naruto's pitiful crying instantly became victorious laughter as he remembered the incident. "That was so much fun, and Nii-san gave me huge props when we heard the old man yell my name all the way from the tower." As he laughed, Naruto looked up ahead of them and his laughter died away at who he saw. "YOU!" He screamed and dashed forward and directly in front of Iruka, who was coming out of the building with a stack of papers in his hand. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!?"

As Iruka looked down at the indignant blonde with slightly surprised eyes, Kiba turned to Hinata with a puzzled expression. "Have you ever met anyone else who can change moods as fast as he can?"

"I've given up trying to figure out the way Naruto's mind works." She stated as she continued forward with Kiba shrugging and following behind.

"What are you so upset about, Naruto." They heard Iruka ask as they reached the pair. The Chuunin's tone and facial expression made it believable that he really didn't know what the blonde boy was so angry about. Unfortunately, the mischievous glint in his eye gave him away.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Naruto shouted. "How could you do that drawing on the day of the test? Were you _trying_ to make me fail?"

The amusement fell away from the scarred Chuunin's face and was replaced by a small, disappointed frown. "Do you really think I was trying to make you fail, Naruto?"

"Well why the hell else would you put those three next to me on the final exam? I barely even had time to think about what answers I was putting down before I had to protect myself from a three sided assault!" Naruto's incensed shouting carried across the yard. "I'm not even sure if they were even doing their own test or if they just devoted the whole time to trying to molest me!"

Iruka just sighed and shook his head. "Well I'm sorry that you think I would deliberately try to harm your score. I have to go and finish grading the rest of the tests before the practical exam. So if you'll excuse me." Without another word, Iruka slipped by the three of them and continued on his way and disappeared around a corner leaving a fuming Naruto behind.

"I agree, Naruto. I can't believe you would think so lowly of Iruka."

The new voice caused Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba to jump in surprise and turn around to find themselves facing a frowning Mizuki.

Naruto's surprise at seeing his other teacher their quickly turned to defensiveness as soon as he registered what Mizuki had said.

"What do you mean 'you can't believe it', Mizuki-sensei? What else am I supposed to think when he does something like that on the day of the most important test of my life?"

Mizuki's frown became more pronounced. "Naruto, you and I both know that, despite your continuous pranks on him, Iruka is fond of you and would never intentionally try to harm your academic achievements."

Naruto winced. It was true. He knew that Iruka wasn't like that. He knew because both Iruka and Mizuki had spent a great deal of their own free time try and help the sunny blonde catch up on the academic points of the academy since he was three years behind the rest of the class on the curriculum. Because of this, the three of them had actually become quite close to each other, going out for ramen together after lessons, doing some light sparring now and then, (Something needed since Naruto and Sasuke had been forbidden from sparing each other ever again while they were in the academy due to their increasing tendency to try to kill each other.) and just having good times in general together. Naruto could honestly say that he had come to look at both of the Chuunin more as friends than teachers over the year.

Naruto tried to keep up his glare at the white haired Chuunin, but eventually he gave up and let out a long sigh. "I know, Mizuki-sensei, I really do, but I just can't understand why he would do something that would make it impossible for me to focus on the test. I can't even remember half of what I put down."

"It's exactly for that reason that he did it." Mizuki's reply got a confused look from all three of the Genin hopefuls. "Naruto, Iruka and I have been keeping you after class every day for nearly a year to help you catch up to your age group in the academics of your schooling, and do you know what we've noticed?" Naruto slowly shook his head in the negative, his confusion showing through. "We've noticed that on most of the mock tests we gave you, you would start to put the right answer, and then second guess yourself and change it to a wrong answer. Neither of us knows why you do it. It might be nerves, or it could just be that you have no confidence in your test taking abilities, but you always seem to harm your grade if you're given too much time to think over the answers you've written. So, knowing that, does it help you understand why Iruka would put the girls that would cause the most distraction next to you while you were testing?"

Naruto's confusion was clear on his face as he looked back at the Chuunin before turning to Kiba who responded with a shrug. Naruto faced his teacher again to tell him that he still didn't understand, but Hinata cut him off.

"Iruka-sensei created an environment that would make it difficult, if not impossible, for Naruto to have the chance to go over his answers again and start changing them. Thereby increasing Naruto's chances of getting a higher than average grade."

Naruto looked at Hinata in mild shock before turning his wide eyed gaze back to Mizuki. "Is that true?"

Mizuki's frown turned into a small, smug smirk. "Let me answer that with another question. Until today, what was the highest score you've gotten on a test, Naruto?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and cast a somewhat shame filled glance to his two friends. "Uhh, forty seven percent." He heard a snort of amusement and gave Kiba a withering glare that the other boy just smirked at.

"Well," Mizuki's voice regained their attention, "I'm not really supposed to tell you this yet, but…" Mizuki looked Naruto directly in the eyes. "Today, Naruto, you scored eighty three percent on your test."

Naruto went rigid with shock. He had scored an eighty three, an _eighty_ three. He was praying to Kami just to get above sixty and now he was told he scored better than _eighty_. It was too good to be true, he had to be dreaming. Remembering what Jagaa had told him to do if he ever thought he was in a dream, Naruto made a fist and punched himself as hard as he could in the side of the head.

Needless to say, he instantly regretted it as he stumbled around with little swirls in his eyes.

Mizuki, Hinata, and Kiba all looked at each other in confusion at Naruto's sudden self attack before turning back to the blonde boy. "What are you doing, Naruto?" Mizuki voiced the question on all their minds.

The whiskered boy shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts and looked back at them all sheepishly. "Well, I was so surprised to hear I got such a good score that I thought I was in a dream and decided to check if I was."

"Don't people normally pinch themselves to do that?" Hinata asked, with Kiba nodding his agreement.

Naruto looked at them, his face mirroring their earlier confusion. "What do you mean? Nii-san told me that…" Naruto's confusion turned to realization which was quickly followed by an angry shout. "NIIII-SAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!"

X X

Back at their apartment, Jagaa's head perked up and he faced out the window. "Hmm, why do I suddenly feel so pleased with myself?" He wondered out loud.

X X

Meanwhile, back with Naruto, Kiba was howling with laughter as he lay on the ground clutching his side. "I…can't…believe…you fell…for that!" He gasped out between his fits of laughs. A bit to his left, Hinata's body was shaking heavily as she turned her head away with her eyes closed and a hand covering her mouth in a poor attempt to hide her enjoyment at the blonde boy's gullibility.

"It's not _that_ funny." Naruto muttered despondently, which of course only increased his friends' laughter.

"So…what other advice has he given you?" Hinata asked, forcing down her mirth somewhat.

"None of you're business." Naruto answered, turning his head to the side and squinting his eyes in a huff. Kiba and Hinata laughed harder than ever as they imagined some of the other things Jagaa might have told him, or worse, what Naruto might have already _tried_.

Off to the side, Mizuki also seemed to be struggling to keep a straight face, and was finally forced to clear his throat loudly in order to bring some kind of order back to the small group. "Anyway, now that you see the results of Iruka's tactic, don't you think you should apologize to him for accusing him of trying to sabotage you?"

Naruto looked at the white haired Chuunin for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "You're right, Mizuki-sensei, I should, and I will. I promise."

Mizuki messed up Naruto's hair with a pleased smile. "Good to hear. Now, you three better hurry if you want to get anything to eat before the tests resume. Lunch is almost over."

"Oh crap!" Naruto cried in a panic turning to Kiba and Hinata, "I've still got to buy some ramen! I'll meet you two at the tree!" At the pairs confirming nods, Naruto dashed off in the direction of the cafeteria. "See you later Mizuki-sensei!" He yelled back as he disappeared around the corner.

"Yeah, later Sensei." Kiba added with a casual wave as he and Hinata walked away.

Behind them, Mizuki followed the path Naruto had taken with an unreadable expression before he too turned and walked off.

X X X X X

"**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Naruto called out.

Four balls of water, two on each side, appeared in air beside him before shifting and coloring to make four identical copies of the blonde boy. He was glad that the 'Land of Fire" wasn't living up to its name and had plenty of moisture in the air to perform his technique. Especially considering he would have been royally screwed if it didn't.

Behind the desk, both Iruka and Mizuki smiled proudly at the boy.

"Congratulations, Naruto. You've passed with flying colors." Iruka beamed, making Naruto scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well done indeed, Naruto." Mizuki said. "Come and claim your Hitai-ate while I go get the next student." Still grinning triumphantly, Naruto moved to the front of the desk as Mizuki got up from his seat and headed for the door.

"I'm proud of you, Naruto." Iruka praised the boy as he handed him the blue cloth embedded with a metal plate that carried a carving of the Konoha symbol in the middle. "I knew you could do it."

Naruto's hand faltered slightly as he took the coveted item, guilt rising in him as he looked at the scarred Chuunin's smiling face. Naruto had still not apologized to Iruka for accusing him of trying to sabotage his test. He wanted to during the 'Projectile Weapons Skills' portion of the test, but the man was still grading the papers and had not been present. That gave rise another pang of guilt for Naruto since the fact Mizuki had known Naruto's score so fast meant that Iruka had graded it first to see how well Naruto had done. However, none of his earlier guilt could compare to what he was feeling now as he looked into the face of the proudly smiling man. Deciding there was no time like the present, Naruto took a deep, calming breath. "Say, umm, Iruka-sensei…"

"Hmm, what is it, Naruto?" Iruka asked. Naruto could hear the genuine kindness radiating in Iruka's voice and it made him feel like someone had punched him in the gut. Couldn't the man be at least a _little_ resentful of Naruto's unfounded accusation?

Taking another deep breath, Naruto started. "Iruka-sensei, I wanted to…"

"Iruka, are you ready for the next one?" Mizuki's question cut Naruto short.

"Huh? Oh, yes I'm ready." Iruka called back before giving Naruto an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Naruto, but can this wait until later?"

Naruto sighed lowly before perking up and giving Iruka a foxy grin. "Sure, Sensei, I'll just talk to you later then." With a quick wave, Naruto ran to the door with his brand new _Hitai-ate_ in hand. He was a disappointed that he had missed his chance to apologize to Iruka again, but he took heart in the fact it would be easier to do it after everything calmed down anyway. Feeling a bit better, Naruto exited the large room smiling triumphantly as he walked past the line of students who had yet to take the test, the last in line being none other than Yamanaka Ino.

"So you actually passed." She said snidely as she saw the _Hitai-ate_ in his hand. "It doesn't matter though, Sasuke-kun is still better than you."

Naruto stopped and pretended to do a double take. "Huh? Oh, Ino, sorry I didn't see you there. Did you say something?" Naruto smirked internally when he saw the girls jaw tighten. He had realized a while ago that insults didn't faze Ino in the slightest (since she would just come back with one of her own), but she absolutely _hated_ not being noticed. As Ino started to open her mouth to deliver whatever insult she had concocted, Naruto quickly cut her off. "Well, see ya later, Ino." Naruto then dashed off before the girl could say anything back, knowing full well that not letting Ino get the last word would be the icing on the cake.

The loud screech of frustration that followed proved his point beautifully.

Laughing to himself, Naruto walked back into the class room where all the Genin that had passed were assembling. He spotted Sasuke being his normal stoic self in the front of the class room with Sakura being her normal Fangirl self as she tried to ask him on a date, and for a moment Naruto entertained the thought of picking a fight with the raven haired boy. Bragging again that he knew _Mizu Bunshin_ and Sasuke didn't, (something that was always good to piss the teme off) and that he had used it to pass sounded appealing, but he decided against it since that would make Iruka angry as well, and Naruto still hadn't apologized yet. So instead he simply made his way to the back where Hinata and Kiba were waiting for him.

"Heh, check it out," Naruto declared proudly and brandished the metal plate in front of him, "I passed with flying colors!"

"Big deal," Kiba brushed off Naruto's enthusiasm by pointing his thumb at his own _Hitai-ate_ tied around his forehead. "We passed before you did. Remember?" Hinata nodded her agreement, her own proof of passing moving gently against her neck where it was hanging casually.

Naruto visibly deflated. "You know, you two could at least _pretend_ to care. I mean, would saying "Good job" or "I knew you could do it" really be so much to ask?"

Kiba and Hinata looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Naruto with matching smirks and answering in perfect sync. "Yes."

"We knew you could do it, Naruto-kun!" A female's voice called out followed by a chorus of feminine squeals of agreement and delight from the NF. Both of which Naruto managed to tune out admirably. He had gotten good at that throughout the last year.

"I can't believe I actually call you two my friends." Naruto muttered before brightening again with a smirk of his own forming. "That's ok though, I'm sure _Hana_-chan will praise me when I tell her."

Kiba's face darkened dangerously. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my sister, Naruto?"

Naruto feigned a look of sudden realization. "Oh, that's right. Sorry, I forgot about your sister complex."

"I DO _NOT_ HAVE A SISTER COMPLEX!" Kiba stood up and screamed, completely forgetting he was still in class, only to be painfully reminded of that fact when a chorus of laughs and snickers started filling the room. Naruto couldn't remember a time he had seen the Inuzuka blush even close to the amount he was blushing now as he shamefacedly sat down again.

Naruto was quite proud of himself for that.

"Naruto, just put on your _Hitai-ate_ and quit teasing Kiba about his sister complex." Hinata commanded.

"I don't have a sister complex." Kiba mumbled sulkily.

Naruto just grinned victoriously down at Kiba before giving in to Hinata's order. "Okay, okay." Putting his new head accessory on the desk Naruto reached up and removed his old blue bandana. Looking at it fondly, Naruto pocketed the item before reaching for the metal plate. However, just before he reached it, his hand was forcibly stopped by another hand on his wrist. Eyes widening is surprise, Naruto followed the path of the hand back to its owner and found that it was Hinata who had grabbed him and was now gazing at him with strange, starry look in her eye.

"H-Hinata, what are you…" Naruto trailed off as a chill raced up his spine. Taking a quick look around, he felt his dread rising at a rapid pace. Every girl in the room, including Sasuke's own Fangirls (AKA the 'Sasuke Faction' or 'SF'), were giving him the same look as Hinata. Glancing behind him, Naruto was terrified to see that even Sakura seemed to have been possessed by something as she looked back and forth between Sasuke and himself with an expression that made it seem like she may actually be in physical pain over which one of them she should be looking at.

What had started out as dread was quickly becoming full blown panic as the girls slowly started getting up from their seats and moving almost like zombies towards him. '_Not good! Not good! NOT GOOD! What the hell is going on? There's no way just taking off my bandana could have done this!_' The sound of the door sliding open caught Naruto's attention and he looked over praying to Kami that Iruka had just walked in. His hopes were brutally crushed by the sight of the platinum haired Ino.

"What's going on? Why's it so quiet in…" Ino trailed off once she caught sight of Naruto and was now staring at him with her mouth hanging open and a small amount of drool slipping from the corner.

'_Even _Ino_? I'M DOOMED!_' Naruto wailed mentally before turning to Kiba in desperation. "Kiba! Help me! They've all been possessed!"

Kiba answered with a smirk that Naruto knew meant nothing but trouble. "What was that, Naruto? Sorry, I couldn't hear you since I so busy _fantasizing_ about my Nee-chan. You know, me and my sister complex and all." Naruto could only gape in disbelief. His best friend had just left him to the figurative (or maybe not) wolves.

Sure Naruto may have deserved it, but that wasn't the point right now.

"KYAAAAA!"

Naruto turned in time to see that Sakura had apparently solved her internal dispute and was sailing through the air at him like a pouncing tiger. The other girls seemed to take that as the signal to charge and followed suit with loud hunting cries of their own.

In a way, it was almost like a perfect ending to match the start of the year as, just as it had happened on Naruto's first day, a giant pile of hormone driven girls formed where the blonde boy had been standing and, holding true to tradition, they soon found themselves piled on top of the _wrong_ person.

"I'm going to kill you, Uzumaki!" Sasuke's muffled voice ghosted out from beneath the pile of girls.

From the door way Naruto shouted back. "You're welcome to try anytime Teme!" His shout drew the hungry gazes of the pile of girls, making Naruto swallow hard. "Except right now! Right now I have to _RUN_!"

Naruto bolted out the door followed soon after by the sound of a mass of pounding feet. Going against his better judgment, Naruto looked back to see the whole horde of women chasing him with a predatory gleam in their eyes. The most frightening (not to mention completely against the natural order of the universe) part of it all being that Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, were the ones leading the charge.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!" Naruto screamed to the heavens with waterfall tears pouring down his cheeks as he sprinted down the hall with the horde of screaming girls hot on his heels.

X X

Iruka had just finished marking up the final scores of the exams and was pleased to see that all the students in his class had passed. Though it was true that most of them would be coming back to the academy because of the final test that they were given by their Jounin sensei, it was still a proud day when a teacher could say that his class had done the best. Whistling lightly, Iruka gathered up his papers and walked to the door, sliding it open with a smile of accomplishment shining on his face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!"

The shout startled the Chuunin so much that he almost dropped his papers, but he managed to keep them all in hand and looked up just in time to see Naruto blur passed him like the devil was on his heals followed not two seconds later by a horde of Fangirls, proving Iruka hadn't been far off the mark.

Iruka blinked several times as he followed the spectacle curiously. "Hmm, it seems Naruto is really popular these days. Oh well, I need to get back to my class." Humming lightly to himself, Iruka started down the hall. He had taken all of three steps when he stumbled to a stop as his mind fully processed what had just happened.

'_Class…students…my students…not in class…CRAP!_' Spinning so fast he kicked up a wind, Iruka tore down the hallway after his wayward students. "ALL OF YOU GET BACK TO THE CLASSROOM THIS _INSTANT_!!"

X X X X X

"What was it Naruto!?" Hinata yelled as she held the blonde boy against the wall by the collar of his shirt, her Byakugan flaring dangerously. "Was it Genjutsu? Some kind of drug? What did you do to me?"

It had been almost an hour since the strange three way chase had begun, and less than twenty minutes since it had ended by Iruka saving Naruto just in the nick of time as the blonde was cornered by the mob of raging hormones. All it had taken was one furious bellow from the scarred Chuunin to somehow snap the girls back to their senses. This was followed by the Chuunin directing them back to the class and yelling at all of them for several minutes before he unceremoniously sent all the graduates out to the yard to wait for their families.

Which now brings us back to Naruto being pinned against the wall by the pissed off Hyuuga heiress.

"I-I don't know what happened. Honest. A-all I did was take off my bandana so I could put my _Hitai-ate_ on, and suddenly you and the rest of the girls went crazy. I'm innocent I tell you!" Naruto was sweating heavily as Hinata continued to glare at him with the promise of extreme pain reflected in her eyes. It seemed that having somehow been turned into a raging Fangirl for half an hour had _not_ made her happy. Though, Naruto thought that she may have been taking it better than others. Seeing that, behind the pissed of Hinata, Ino and Sakura were sitting under a tree clutching each other with wide, haunted eyes.

"I can't believe I was chasing Naruto." Ino said in a hollow tone. "I think I'm scarred for life."

"I…I betrayed Sasuke-kun." Sakura responded in a voice near to tears. "Now he'll think I don't like him anymore. What am I going to do? How can I even bring myself to face him again?" Inside the pink haired girls mind, a crude looking image of herself with the words "Inner Sakura" on its forehead, was repeatedly beating its head on a large boulder yelling **'STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!'** as loud as it could.

Around them, the other ardent SF members seemed to be having similar thoughts as the crowded together with dark, depressed auras.

From off to the side, Sasuke was watching with mixed emotions, his thoughts mostly focused on a certain whisker marked blonde. On one hand, Naruto had forced him to endure a spectacular glomp from a horde of fangirls, something he had managed to avoid throughout his Academy life before. On the other hand, it looked like his Fangirls were so depressed that they may give up on chasing him, at least for a while. So now Sasuke's dilemma was, should he continue to hate the blonde for all the trouble he had caused him, or should he thank Naruto, and maybe even try to make peace with the blonde, for granting him a reprieve from the horrors of Fangirls?

"NO! I won't accept this!" Sakura suddenly shouted, springing to her feet with a fire burning in her eyes. "I'll prove to Sasuke-kun that I still love him, and only him. I'll just have to try _twice_ as hard to win his affections!"

Her rival's declaration snapped Ino out of her own depression and she immediately jumped to her own feet, pointing at Sakura challengingly. "Hah! You wish forehead girl! If you're going to try twice as hard, then so will I! I'll show you and everybody else that I'm the one for Sasuke-kun! Not some girl who could sell her forehead as real-estate!"

"Hah! You'll be eating those words at mine and Sasuke-kun's wedding, Mud-Wallower!" Sakura snarled back as Inner Sakura put on a pair of boxing gloves and started to beat the crap out of a punching bag with a crude picture of Ino drawn on it while shouting **'Shannaro!'**

As the two girls degenerated into a battle of insults, the rest of the SF also made recoveries, their depressed auras becoming ones of determination as they too declared their intentions to try harder than ever to win over Sasuke.

Sasuke watched in horror as each girl stood up and started shouting their declarations of victory. They had been a force to be reckoned with, but now…they would be more powerful than ever before. Needless to say, Sasuke's hatred of Naruto came back full force, and with interest.

Meanwhile, back with the hapless blonde himself.

"Please let me live! I swear I didn't do anything!" Naruto begged the girl who was still attempting to strangle him with his own shirt. Hinata continued to glare at the blonde suspiciously before slowly loosening her hold.

However, before fully letting go, Hinata brought her face in close to his, making Naruto go rigid with fright. "I swear to you, Naruto," She said in a low, silky voice that promised death, "If I _ever_ find out that you're lying, and you really _did_ do something to make me act like that, I, will, Kill you!" Naruto couldn't make a sound due to his throat constricting in fear and simply nodded with wide eyes.

Through the whole thing, Kiba had just been standing off to the side with a huge smirk.

"Tch, you're so damn troublesome, Naruto." Shikamaru's lazy voice came from the side as he casually walked up with his hands in his pockets. As usual, Chouji was right next to the pineapple haired boy, continuously munching on a bag of chips. "First you ruin my nap by riling up the girls in class, now I can't watch clouds because the SF is using my favorite spot to make plans to prove their love to the Teme. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Well _sorry_ if my almost being _mauled_ by possessed girls ruined your day." Naruto answered back icily. "I was a little too busy _running for my life_ to care about what happened to _your_ lazy ass."

"Speaking of which," Chouji spoke through his mouthful of chips, "Why did that happen anyway? I mean, sure the Naruto Faction always finds an excuse to chase you, but for the Sasuke Faction to act like that… What's even stranger is that we all know for a fact that Hinata has seen you without your bandana on before and not gone into a Fangirl frenzy, so what the heck happened?"

"I don't know." Naruto answered with a shake of his head. "I just hope it _never_ happens again."

"Agreed." Hinata added.

"Mah, whatever." Shikamaru shrugged then indicated behind them with a slight thrust of his chin. "It looks like the families are starting to gather."

The rest of the group looked over to see that, true to Shikamaru's words, family and friends of the graduating class had started coming through the front gate and were making their way to the group of proud new Genins. Naruto eagerly started checking through the crowd for the black clad appearance of his older brother figure, but soon wilted when he found no trace of the scarred man.

'_I guess I shouldn't be surprised._' The boy thought with a depressed sigh. '_He really isn't too happy that he's going to have to become a Jounin because of my passing._'

"Oi, Naruto! Why are you just standing in a daze over there? At least come say hi to my family." Naruto turned to the shout to see Kiba waving him over to where he was standing with his mother and sister. Taking one last quick look around for Jagaa, Naruto walked over to the trio of Inuzuka.

"So you passed, eh brat?" Tsume grinned as soon as Naruto joined them. "Good job."

Naruto returned her grin with his own foxy one and thumped his chest proudly. "Of course, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! There's no way some stupid test is going to get the best of me!"

"At least not when Iruka-sensei is there to save your ass." Kiba muttered just loud enough for Naruto to hear, earning a threatening glare from the blonde.

"Congratulations Naruto." Hana said happily, pulling the boy into a friendly hug, "I knew you could do it."

As he was being hugged, Naruto was struck with an idea that could only have been due to his time with Jagaa. Taking a quick glance at Kiba to make sure he was watching, Naruto returned Hana's hug, bringing his mouth close to her ear and whispering huskily, "Thank you, Hana-chan. That means a lot to me coming from you." Naruto finished by giving her a kiss on the cheek that was a just a _little_ bit too long to be called just friendly.

"N-Naruto?" Hana stammered, pulling back from Naruto with a rosy blush and wide eyes. Just behind her, Kiba was recovering from the state of shock Naruto's actions had put him in and was now looking like he was going to rip out the whiskered boy's throat. Naruto grinned impudently at the near raging Inuzuka boy even as he wallowed in his own success. Not only had Naruto fully succeeded in completely pissing Kiba off, he had even made a beautiful older girl like Hana blush.

Jagaa would be proud.

"Hey now, we'll have none of that." Tsume said with a light whack to the back of Naruto's head despite the amusement in her voice, "Don't go turning into that brother of yours already. One of him is hard enough to handle."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and smiled at the older woman. "Okay, okay, sorry." Turning back to Hana, Naruto's smile became a foxy, but apologetic grin. "Sorry I startled you Hana-chan. I was just playing around."

Hana let out an audible sigh of relief before smiling a bit sheepishly. "That's good to hear, Naruto. For a minute there I really thought you were serious." Hana eyed him for a couple seconds before her sheepish smile became a dangerous grin. "But you do understand that if you ever pull a stunt like that again I'll be forced to neuter you, right?"

Naruto gulped loudly. "Yes Ma'am, won't happen again Ma'am!" He responded with a sharp salute.

"He learns fast." Tsume laughed as Hana nodded her acceptance of Naruto's promise. Hana opened her mouth to say something else, but she was cut off by a low snarl coming from behind her causing all three to look over and see Kiba staring at Naruto with blood lust in his eyes. On his head, Akamaru was whining lowly, as if attempting to calm his master down.

Hana and Tsume looked confused as to why Kiba looked like he was planning to kill Naruto, but the blonde himself on the other hand had been hoping for this exact reaction. Putting on his best puzzled expression, Naruto spoke up. "Oi, what's the matter with you?"

Kiba growled low in his throat and crouched down into an attack position. "I don't care if it was a joke or not you bastard! You went _way_ too far!" Poor Akamaru was continuing to whine piteously on top of Kiba's head.

Naruto was smirking like a maniac internally, but on the outside he was doing a wonderful job of looking completely baffled. After a few seconds, he made a show of remembering something by lighting up his face and catching his fist in his palm. "Oh that's right. Sorry Kiba. I just keep forgetting about your si…" Naruto was silenced by Kiba's hand slamming over his mouth with the Inuzuka himself going from murderous to panicked in half a second flat.

"Shut _up_!" Kiba whispered in a slightly hoarse voice. "Just _shut up_! Don't you even _dare_ try to say that bullshit in front of Nee-chan!"

Naruto smirked evilly as he pulled Kiba's hand away and whispered back. "Sorry, sorry, I guess I forgot I'm not supposed to say anything about that in front of Hana-chan. My memory must have suffered a bit of trauma when _somebody_ abandoned me to the mercy of a horde of hormone driven girls."

Kiba's narrowed dangerously, "You deserved it." He growled out.

"Yeah, well so did you." Naruto responded with his own growl. The two boys were glaring into each others eyes with their faces mere inches apart.

"You know, it's really hard to tell if you two are actually friends sometimes."

The new voice had Naruto's head snapping over to see the last person he had expected to (show up) come.

Jagaa was standing just bit off to the left of Tsume (Who for some reason always looked a bit uncomfortable when Jagaa was around.) standing with his arms folded and his eyebrows raised curiously. "I swear. You two fight worse than an old married couple. Was there a wedding I wasn't invited to?"

"Hey!" Kiba shouted in disgust, but Naruto was still too surprised to register what the remark had suggested.

"Nii-san? What are you doing here?" He asked. Not really sure if he should be happy that Jagaa had come, or scared that the older blonde was up to something.

"What do you mean 'What am I doing here'? Are you saying you didn't want me to come?" Jagaa questioned with a tilt of his head.

Naruto shook his head furiously. "No, that's not it. I was just surprised. I…" Naruto wilted a little, unable to meet Jagaa's eyes. "I didn't think you'd want to come."

"Why would you think that?" Naruto's head jerked up to look into the face of a smirking Jagaa. "Just because I don't agree with the dream you're chasing doesn't mean I won't support you in reaching it. Sure, I'm not to thrilled about the prospect of being tied down to one village, but I find that I can forgive that by telling myself that it will just give me that many more chances to make life _hell_ for the half dead old bastard." Jagaa's smirk became a sadistic smile that made all who saw it take a step backwards.

X X

In his office, the Sandaime sneezed violently behind his desk sending several tall stacks of papers flying in every direction, mixing all of the documents together on the floor and promising hours of sorting through them to get them all back into proper organization.

The old man stared at the mess from over his desk for a few minutes before leaning back and rubbing the bridge of his nose with a long, suffering sigh.

"I don't even need to ask."

X X

Back with the groups of graduates and family, Jagaa had dropped his sadistic smirk and was looking at the sky thoughtfully.

"That's twice today I've felt strangely pleased with myself. I wonder why." He muttered questioningly to himself.

"Well, anyway, congratulations to both of you." Tsume said with a proud smile to the two boys. Her comment managed to pull Jagaa out of his thoughts, and with a grin he reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Yeah, congratulations Brat. I guess that puts you one step closer to reaching that pain in the ass dream of yours."

"Hey, it's not a pain in the ass!" Naruto yelled in defense, "It's so I can gain the respect and acknowledgement of the entire village and show them I'm worth something no matter _what_ the reason they've hated me might be!"

Jagaa's went still on top of Naruto's head and his grin faded into an unreadable expression that only Naruto saw. "No matter what the reason, huh?" He muttered to himself.

"Nii-san?" Naruto asked in confusion at the man's sudden change in demeanor.

"Hmm, what is it Naruto?" Jagaa asked with in a light voice, his grin back in place and showing no hint that it had ever left.

"…Nothing…never mind." Naruto replied with a shake of his head. Maybe he had just imagined it. After all, nothing he said should have bothered the older blonde.

"Hmm, you're kind of weird sometimes, you know?" Jagaa smirked giving Naruto's head one more messing.

"Heh, probably because I've been around _you_ for so long." Naruto retorted as he pushed Jagaa's hand away.

Jagaa just shrugged, the smirk still playing on his lips. "Who knows?" Reaching out, Jagaa clapped Naruto once on the back. "Well, sorry to bail on you so soon brat, but there are a few things I need to do before my official induction into Hell. Catch all of you later." With slight wave, Jagaa turned and started walking into the crowd.

"I really don't think being a Jounin will be _that _bad, Nii-san!" Naruto chided. Jagaa just waved dismissively above his head before his form was swallowed by the mass of people.

"He didn't stay long." Kiba grunted.

"I'm just glad he came at all." Naruto said sincerely. It had definitely been one of the better surprises throughout his life. A hand came down on Naruto's shoulder in a friendly manner from behind, causing him to jump in surprise. "I agree, Naruto, it is good of him to show his support for you."

"Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto asked before turning to look into the white haired man's face. "Quit popping up out of nowhere like that! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, sorry." Mizuki laughed, patting Naruto on the shoulder before turning to Tsume, "Inuzuka-sama." He greeted with a small bow.

"Mizuki." Tsume responded in an oddly cool tone that had both her children and Naruto looking at her curiously. Tsume wasn't usually the type to act aloof with anyone.

If Mizuki noticed, he didn't make any mention of it as he continued to smile. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I'm afraid I need to borrow Naruto for a bit." Mizuki's smile was warm and friendly, a significant disparity to the small frown that had appeared on Tsume's face. If she had anything to say though, it was cut off by Naruto's panicked blabbering.

"Wha? Why? Did I mess up on my test? Did I actually not pass? What happened, Sensei? I did graduate didn't I? I must have? I…"

"Calm down Naruto." Mizuki said with a laugh, "You passed your exams excellently. I just want to have a word with you, that's all."

Naruto let out an explosive breath of relief before scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh…Okay then." He turned back to the trio of Inuzuka and gave them a cheerful wave. "I'll catch up to you guys later, all right."

"Got it. Catch ya later man." Kiba called out as Naruto walked off with the white haired Chuunin.

"Hey, Mom, are you okay?" Kiba heard his sister ask with a trace of worry in her voice. Kiba didn't understand what she meant until he turned around and saw his mother staring after Naruto and Mizuki with a steely gaze. "Mom?" He asked, in confusion. Tsume shook her head and turned back to her children. "It's nothing, I suppose. I just…don't really trust that man."

X X X X X

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

Naruto's shout echoed through the hall before Mizuki slapped his hand over the blonde's mouth. Taking a wary glance around before looking back to Naruto, Mizuki whispered low and conspiratorially. "Shhh, yes I'm serious, but I'll also get in _serious_ trouble if anyone of the other Genin, even some Chuunin for that matter, find out about it. Understand?" Mizuki waited for Naruto's nod before slowly removing his hand from the boy's mouth.

"But it's just so incredible!" Naruto whispered back excitedly, "I mean, a chance to become a Chuunin right after graduating!"

Mizuki nodded in understanding. "I know. I didn't know about it either, until I was approached by the Hokage and asked who I thought would be best suited for the opportunity." Mizuki paused for a minute, his face showing some hesitancy, "To be honest, Naruto, the Hokage had seemed certain that it should be Sasuke, seeing that he was the number one in the class and that is usually who the chance will go to, but after some discussion, I managed to convince him that _you_ were a far better choice."

Naruto stared at the Chuunin, the amazement showing in his eyes. "You did that for me?"

Mizuki put his hands on Naruto's shoulders and smiled down at him. "Naruto, I may have only been teaching you for a year now, but I have no doubts in my mind that only you should get this chance. You have worked hard to keep up with your class despite being so far behind, and you understand that nothing worthwhile ever comes free. Sasuke is good, I'll give him that, but he still has some maturing to do because of his pride at being an Uchiha. You deserve this, Naruto."

Naruto could only stare at the man in front of him in wonder as the pride and gratitude filled his chest. Finally, with a shake of his head to clear his thoughts, he gave the white haired man a determined look. "I won't let you down, Sensei."

Mizuki's smile widened, a strange glint coming to his eyes. "I know you won't Naruto. I know you won't."

X X X X X

Jagaa sat on the roof of the three story apartment complex that he and Naruto lived in, his expression blank and his body unmoving. The gently breeze ruffled his hair and caressed his skin comfortingly, but Jagaa was too lost in his thoughts to feel the pleasant sensation as he struggled with one of the biggest decisions he felt he had ever, or would ever, have to make.

It was a decision he had been sitting on for the last year and honestly wished he could just avoid, but he knew that couldn't happen. Even still, he was putting it off, sitting on the roof letting time pass by as his mind and heart clashed on the matter.

An old fashioned clock started chiming nearby, just loud enough to hear, surprising Jagaa greatly when it ended at eight chimes. Naruto's graduation had been at three p.m. and Jagaa had left only a few minutes after he got there and gone straight to the roof he now sat on, meaning he had been there for almost five hours.

"Time fly's when you're having fun." Jagaa muttered sarcastically to himself.

It would still be half an hour before Jagaa finally stood up, dusting himself off and turning to face the direction of the Hokage tower. There was no avoiding it anymore.

"I guess this is it."

X X X X X

Naruto leapt through the trees quickly and silently, a large scroll held under his left arm. He couldn't believe how _easy_ the test had been.

Just like Mizuki had said, Naruto had been careful not to say anything to anybody about his test, even going so far as to hide out in the forest and not go celebrating with his friends about becoming Genin. Besides, if all went well, he would be celebrating becoming a _Chuunin_ soon. Naruto couldn't stop the excited grin that leapt to his face at the thought.

Especially when he thought about how good it would feel to rub it into the Teme's face.

Smirking at the mental images of him towering mightily over a pitifully crying Sasuke, Naruto finished his race through the trees and leapt down into a clearing next to a small cabin.

"Just like Mizuki-sensei said." Naruto mused as he took in his surroundings. Naruto checked watch strapped to his wrist that Mizuki had given him for the test and a proud smile came to his face. Mizuki had told him to have the scroll at the little cabin by nine-thirty p.m., but Naruto had managed to accomplish the mission a whole hour and fifteen minutes early. If that didn't get him some bonus points, Naruto wasn't sure what would.

Then again, an hour and fifteen minutes was a _long_ time to just sit around and wait for Mizuki to show up with the judges. So now Naruto was left with the dilemma of just what he was going to _do_ for that long. It wasn't until he caught himself absently stroking the large scroll under his arm that Naruto was hit with inspiration.

He'd just check out what was in the scroll. Mizuki had never said he wasn't allowed to after all. He remembered a time Jagaa had said that there was nothing wrong with curiosity, and as long as nobody actually _told_ you you couldn't do something, you couldn't be held accountable for it.

Granted, Jagaa had said that when he was defending himself for a time his 'Curiosity' led him to 'Investigating' the women's bathroom while he was drunk, but good advice was good advice no matter what the source.

So, with his conscience completely clear, Naruto opened the scroll and eagerly examined the writing. He was rather surprised to find himself staring at a scroll full of techniques that looked to be fairly difficult. Naruto stared at the scroll for several minutes as he tried to figure out why he would be told to get a technique scroll, when a light bulb went off inside his brain.

"OF COURSE! I'm supposed to learn a technique from the scroll! I can't believe I almost failed the test!" Feeling incredibly proud of himself on his insight, Naruto decided to do things the old fashioned way and work on the list from the top down and moved his eyes back to the top of the list.

"Hmm…_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_. It looks like it uses pure chakra to make clones instead of relying on an outside substance like _Mizu Bunshin_." Naruto was about to pass it by with dismissive shrug, but stopped when he realized that knowing another form of the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ could come in handy. Especially since the _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_ was limited to the amount of water in the area. Nodding to himself to confirm his decision, Naruto began reading through the instructions on how to perform the technique.

X X X X X

Naruto panted heavily as he lay on the ground staring up at the stars visible in the small clearing. He had just managed to perform the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_ and was feeling extremely proud of himself. It had taken over an hour of hard training and throwing everything he had into it, but he had finally managed to do it. He was actually quite pleased with the results. With the _Mizu Bunshin_ Naruto could make four, maybe five out of the water in the air if there wasn't a river or lake near by, and at least fifty if there was.

Just now, after finally getting it right, Naruto had made forty _Kage Bunshin_ even though he had already used a lot of chakra in training. It made him extremely glad he had decided to learn it. Now he wouldn't be limited by lack of water, even if he was in Suna.

Tiredly lifting his arm and glancing at the watch, Naruto sighed when he saw it was only fifteen minutes until Mizuki was supposed to arrive. "Guess I don't have time to learn another one. Heh heh, oh well, I'm still freaking AWESOME for learning this one so fast." With a happy grin, Naruto forced himself into a sitting position to wait for Mizuki.

"Ah, there you are, Naruto!" Naruto's head snapped around at the voice to see Iruka running up to him looking relieved. "I've been looking all over for you." The scar scarred Chuunin said as he closed the distance between them.

"Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. He couldn't remember if Mizuki had said Iruka knew about the test or not, but it would be best to treat it like he didn't so that he didn't fail by revealing it.

"Tsume-sama asked me a couple hours ago if I would help her look for you." Iruka answered," She told me that you had gone off some where with Mizuki after you graduated and that she hadn't seen you since. I think she was worried something happened to you since you didn't join them all to celebrate."

Naruto flinched guiltily. He hadn't thought people would start worrying after only a few hours, but he was certain his friends would forgive him once they learned the reason. For now though, he still couldn't tell anyone. "Sorry, Iruka-sensei, something came up."

Iruka frowned at the boy. He knew Naruto well enough by now to know that the boy put friends before everything. Well, except maybe ramen, but Naruto would put eating ramen before breathing if he could. Still, just taking off without letting anyone know where he was going wasn't like the boy at all. "Naruto, are you sure everything is okay? If something is bothering you, you know you can tell me."

The concern in Iruka's voice brought another wave of guilt to the blonde boy, a wave strengthened by the fact that Naruto had been so unfair to the man earlier in the day. Well, at least he could apologize for _that_, even if he would have to wait to apologize for worrying everyone.

"Uh, actually, Iruka-sensei…there is something that's been bothering me all day." Naruto waited for the expectant nod from his teacher before taking a long breath, "I…wanted to apologize…for how I acted today. I know that you would never try to deliberately sabotage my grade, and I was wrong to accuse you of doing it." Naruto took a step backwards and bowed low, "I'm really sorry."

Iruka stared at the mop of blonde hair in surprise for a few moments before his mouth formed a friendly smile and he stretched his arms out to lay his hands on each of Naruto's shoulders, causing the boy to look up and meet his eyes. "There's no need to apologize, Naruto. To be honest, if it had been the other way around, I would have felt the same way you did." Iruka's smile became a little guilty, and Naruto's eyebrow quirked, "There's also the small fact that I almost _did_ sabotage you by using those three. They were much more…enthusiastic, about the arrangement than I had wanted. I still don't know how they actually managed to do their own tests with how much attention they were giving you."

Iruka's confession mixed with the sheepish, slightly guilty expression he was wearing caused a slight chuckle to escape from Naruto, which in turn caused the Chuunin to chuckle as well. Soon the chuckling turned into a full on laughter, leaving both the Chuunin and the Genin feeling much better than they had through most of the day.

When their laughter finally died down, Iruka smiled at Naruto and offered his hand to the young boy. "So what do you say, still friends?" Naruto smiled and took the man's hand in his own, "Sure, but you're treating me to ramen."

Iruka laughed again, this time a bit pleadingly. "Ah, come on, give a poor teacher a…" The sound of something flying through the air caught the pair's attention and they snapped their heads around to see several shuriken coming straight at them. Acting on instinct, Iruka tried to push Naruto out of the way, only to find the boy had already jumped clear. Caught off guard by Naruto's quick reflexes, Iruka missed his own chance to get clear and was only able to protect his vitals as the sharp blades bit into his flesh. With a cry of pain Iruka fell to his knees, blood flowing freely from his wounds.

"Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto cried out in alarm, jumping over to his teacher's side. "Are you okay!? What's going on!?" Naruto's panicked questions were interrupted by the sound of a slow, cold applause coming from the trees. Using the sound as their guide, Iruka and Naruto looked up into the foliage to see Mizuki standing on a branch almost ten meters above them, a cruel smile playing on his mouth.

"Well, well, well, isn't this the touching scene." Mizuki's eyes were pictures of disgust, "A teacher bonding with a monster. How low can you sink Iruka?"

Iruka grit his teeth against the pain as his mind tried to process what the hell had just happened. He was about to yell out for an explanation, but Naruto's shocked voice brought stopped him. "Mizuki-sensei? What's going on? Is this part of the test?" Iruka twisted his face sharply to the blonde boy beside him. "What test are you talking about, Naruto?"

The fear and confusion was clear on Naruto's face as he looked at his teacher. "He told me that there was a special test to become a Chuunin right after graduating. All I had to do was keep the test a secret, steal that big scroll from the Hokage tower, and then wait here for the judges to arrive." The word "Scroll" instantly had Iruka's attention and he looked over to where Naruto had pointed only to have his fears realized. "Naruto, that is…"

"The 'Forbidden Scroll' filled with the most powerful and dangerous techniques Konoha has produced. That's right." Mizuki cut in with a sadistic smirk, which then became an irritated frown. "I was planning to kill that demon when he handed me the scroll at the end of his 'Test' and simply vanish from Konoha, but your presence here forced me to act a bit more rashly than I would have liked. Oh well, it doesn't really matter. It just means there will be _two_ bodies for them to find instead of just one."

Iruka glared at Mizuki, his wounds allowing him to do little else. Naruto continued to stare up at the white haired man in a state of shock. "What…what are you saying…Mizuki-sensei? I…I don't understand. Why are you attacking Iruka-sensei? Why did you tell me this was all a test?" Naruto couldn't believe what was happening. He was desperately hoping, praying, that this was all some sort of horrible nightmare, that one of his teachers wasn't saying he had been planning to kill him as the other kneeled injured on the forest floor, that the whole test wasn't a lie, that maybe _this_ was part of the test, but as his eyes took in the cruelty Mizuki's own, Naruto couldn't deny that it all really was happening.

"Why, you ask? The reason is very simple, Naruto." Mizuki's eyes narrowed maliciously, "I hate you."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, but Mizuki wasn't done yet.

"It's not just me either. Haven't you ever wondered why the villagers have always treated you so terribly, wondered what you did to deserve so much scorn and contempt?" A cruel amusement shined in Mizuki's narrowed eyes, "Do you want to know the truth? The truth hidden by the rule set by the Sandaime Hokage twelve years ago?"

Naruto felt fear welling up inside of him. "What rule?"

"Stop it, Mizuki!" Iruka's shouted desperately, but the white haired man simply ignored him.

"I'm talking about the rule that forbids anybody from saying that you are the demon that attacked this village twelve years ago, the demon that destroyed our homes and killed our families, the demon that the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed his life to seal into human form." Mizuki's smile became crueler than ever as he finished, "The rule that forbids us from saying that you…are the Kyuubi no Youko."

The world froze around Naruto. He was the Kyuubi? The demon fox that had nearly destroyed Konoha and took the life of Konoha's strongest Kage? Suddenly all the glares and abuse made sense. The reason for his painful memories and terrible treatment, he finally knew why.

"Do you know, Naruto, how hard it was to be nice to you for the last year?" Naruto's attention was pulled back to Mizuki who was now looking at him in disgust. "Treating you like a human, acting kindly and friendly to you, gaining your _trust_, it was the most sickening thing I have ever done." Mizuki motioned to Iruka with his eyes, "I'm sure Iruka feels the same way. After all, it can't be easy trying to be a good teacher to the thing that killed his parents."

Naruto's eyes went wide in horror at the words. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Iruka, his eyes pleading for it not to be true, but the man could only look away with an grimace that looked almost ashamed, and the boy's heart clenched painfully inside his chest.

"You see?" Mizuki called down gleefully, "He's the same me, he hate's you just like everyone else."

"That's not true, Naruto!" Iruka's cried out desperately, but Naruto couldn't hear him over Mizuki's malicious voice.

"The last year of being nice to you, being friendly with you, it was all for this night." Mizuki continued, his eyes boring into Naruto's, "All so I could gain your trust so that you wouldn't be doubt me about the fake test, and it worked wonderfully. All because you crave acceptance, you stupidly trust anyone that shows you even the slightest kindness. It was almost too easy."

Naruto couldn't move, couldn't speak. The last year flashed through his mind, all the after class lessons, the lunches together, the friendly spars, the smiles, the kind words, all of it had been a lie. Time slowed down for the boy as the white haired man reached behind his back, grabbing and giant shuriken strapped to it.

Mizuki's smile widened insanely as he started spinning the shuriken over his head, "Now I'll finally do what should have been done twelve years ago!" His arm snapped forward sending the spinning blades directly at the boy with all his strength. "DIE YOU DAMNED DEMON!"

"RUN, NARUTO!" Iruka cried out, but to his horror, Naruto simply stood unmoving as the weapon closed in on him. Metal pierced flesh, blood flew through the air, and both Chuunin's eyes widened in disbelief.

Naruto stood with his right arm extended straight out in front of him, blood dripping from the wound on the hand that now held the giant shuriken in an iron grip and his eye shadowed by his golden hair.

"I-impossible." Mizuki stammered as Iruka gaped.

"You…" Naruto's fingernails became claw-like as he tightened his grip on the cold steel in his hand. "All this time…" his voice became guttural, the whisker marks on his face grew wider and darker, his canines grew into fangs, and a deep red, sinister chakra began leaking from his body. "**You…**" Naruto raised his head, his blood red eyes glaring into Mizuki's as the metal weapon in his hand snapped in half, "**YOU BASTARD!**" Naruto charged forward, his arm drawn back and rage in his eyes.

Mizuki could only scream.

X X X X X

Jagaa stood in front of the old Hokage's desk with a room full of Jounin behind him while the old man him self sat with his hands under his chin smiling kindly at him. Among the group to his rear, Kakashi stood with his face buried in his book next to Gai, who was smiling obnoxiously, and Asuma. Anko had taken up a spot next to Tsume and the two of them had somehow ended up in a whispered conversation that involved a fair deal of blushing and side glances at Jagaa as Kurenai stood behind them looking disgusted by both the conversation and the fact she had to be within the same room as Jagaa, if the glares she was giving him was any indication. However, none of that mattered to Jagaa as he watched the old Hokage set the engraved piece of metal on the desk with a friendly smile and started to speak.

"Well, Jagaa, it's been a long time coming, but today you will finally officially be a Jounin of Konoha. I look forward to seeing what your contributions will bring to our fair village." A polite applause sounded behind him, as well as a shrill whistle that Jagaa could only assume came from Anko, but he made no move to pick up the item on the desk. The applause died away and Sarutobi frowned over at the black clad man. "Jagaa, is something…"

"Tomorrow." Jagaa cut the old man off, "I'll accept it tomorrow."

A low murmuring broke out amongst the gathered Jounin and Sarutobi's frown deepened. "May I ask, why tomorrow?" Jagaa raised his head slightly, and Sarutobi was certain he was being looked dead in the eye.

"Because, as long as I haven't accepted, I don't answer to you…and am not bound to your laws."

Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly in realization, but his tone stayed neutral. "You intend to tell him then?"

Jagaa nodded slowly. "He deserves to know."

Behind him, the Jounin were coming into realization of his intentions as well, causing another eruption of muttering. Tsume and Anko stopped their conversation and were watching intently, Asuma and Gai were watching seriously, Kurenai's eyes narrowed, and even Kakashi put his book away to listen.

Sarutobi sighed tiredly and leaned back in his chair. "I don't suppose there is any way for me to convince you not to tell him?"

"No." Jagaa answered bluntly. "I've been putting this off for too long as it is. For the entire last year, I've been asking myself. Is ignorance bliss, or is there strength in knowledge. The fact is though, that no one deserves to be hated without even knowing why. Naruto has suffered long enough without knowing what he ever did to deserve it."

Sarutobi sighed again before looking at Jagaa seriously. "I understand how you feel, but I still think you should reconsider. I emplaced that law in order to prote…" Sarutobi was stopped cold by Jagaa's fist smashing into his desk with enough force to send splinters flying as his killing intent flooded the room.

"If you try to finish that sentence, then we'll be finding out if I'm strong enough to kill a Kage." Jagaa's voice was low, and his tone deadly, "You did _nothing_ to protect him. You just sat back in your office patting yourself on the back about your bullshit law and letting those sons of bitches you call 'Villagers' abuse him. As far as I'm concerned, you're as guilty as the rest of them."

The old man flinched back guiltily. "I can't deny that I have not done as much for him as I would have liked, but you must understand that I did everything within my power."

"THAT'S FUCKING BULLSHIT!" Jagaa shouted, shoving his fist further into the desk with an eruption of splinters and sending out a surge of chakra that ripped through the room like a violent wind. "Are you trying to tell me that the position of Hokage is nothing more than a fucking hat and title? Aren't you supposed to be the strongest person in this damned village? If you had really done everything you could for him, then people would have been _hospitalized _for mistreating him, at the _least_! Oh, I'm sure that mantra of "I've done everything I can" that you kept telling yourself made Naruto feel _so_ much better as they drove his head into the pavement! But hey, what the fuck do you care? I mean, as long as they didn't tell anyone under a certain age about what he carries, he was perfectly safe, right?"

"YOU! How dare you be so disrespectful to our Hokage!" A young Jounin shouted, stepping in front of the rest of them, "You are lucky you aren't imprisoned for your…" The Jounin was unable to finish before he was driven to his knees by a wave of concentrated killing intent unlike anything he had ever felt.

"Little peons that don't want to die should shut the fuck up." Jagaa said coldly without even bothering to turn around and look at the man who was now puking on the floor.

"Jagaa, stop this now!" Sarutobi said sharply.

Jagaa simply stood unmoving. "And what if I don't?"

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed and his chakra spiked threateningly. "I'll make you."

"So you're willing to step up and do what is needed to protect someone who is supposed to be able to protect himself, but not a small boy being beaten half to death in an alley." Jagaa said icily, "How noble of you."

The aged Hokage's eyes widened and the chakra spike died away. Looking down in shame, he fell back into his chair and covered his eyes with his right hand. "I understand, Jagaa, just please…stop." Jagaa looked at the old man for a few more moments before finally reining in his bloodlust, leaving the new Jounin to pass out in relief at being freed from the overwhelming pressure.

The silence in the room was deafening for the next several minutes as the present Jounin tried to wrap their minds around what had just happened. However, were most of them were shocked by the blatant disrespect, even threats of violence, that Jagaa was displaying, Kakashi, Anko, Asuma, Kurenai, and even Gai, were more surprised by the conversation itself.

"I truly did fail him, didn't I?" Sarutobi's saddened words finally filled the silence of the room.

Jagaa's answer was a cold silence that sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

"When do you plan to tell him?" The aged Hokage asked, his voice sounding far older than it ever had before.

"As soon as I've found him after leaving this room."

Sarutobi nodded, finally removing his hand from his eyes and looking up at Jagaa. "I hope it goes well."

Surprisingly, Jagaa smiled ever so slightly. "He's stronger than you realize, Old Man. As long as I sit him down and explain it to him gently, everything should be…" Jagaa stopped and his head snapped up, his gaze going to the window at the back of the room and a worried expression rising to his face.

Sarutobi frowned at Jagaa's sudden change. "Jagaa, what's wro…" The old man froze mid sentence, his eyes widening in fear at the sudden feeling of a sinister chakra that was all too familiar to himself and the Konoha Jounin. "Th-that's…"

"Naruto!" It was Jagaa's only word before he blasted past Sarutobi, filling the air with shattered glass and wood as he ripped through the wall. Quickly shaking off his shock, the Sandaime shot off after the scarred man with the Jounin following suite.

Jagaa didn't care about the group behind him, nor did he care about the damage he was causing as he tore through the streets at incredibly speeds. All he cared about was getting to Naruto _now_.

'_Damn it, Brat, you'd better be all right!_' Clenching his teeth, Jagaa ran faster.

X X X X X

Naruto's fist rammed into Mizuki's stomach, causing a spray of blood to erupt from the white haired man's mouth. Pulling back, Naruto drove that same fist into Mizuki's face, sending the man rolling backwards to come crashing into a tree with a pained grunt. Mizuki tried to role to the side to avoid the next onslaught, but Naruto grabbed his legs, swinging the Chuunin over his head and bringing him crashing back down to the ground. The sound of snapping ribs filled the air along with Mizuki's cry of pain. Naruto paused, looking down with blood-red eyes on the man as he rolled on the ground howling in agony.

For a moment, Naruto felt pity for the man. For a moment, he felt pain at hurting someone he had considered a friend. However, when the image of Mizuki's cruel smile as he revealed his plans to trick and kill Naruto from the day they met, the moment passed. Pain and betrayal filled the young boy's heart, as he lifted Mizuki by the throat to face level and drew back his fist.

Iruka could only watch in horror as Naruto repeatedly slammed his fist into Mizuki's head. There was no mercy in the boy's demonic eyes, no hesitancy in his blows. Iruka could see what was about to happen, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Mizuki's body was going limp, his eyes were glazing over, and it was only a matter of time before Naruto delivered the final blow. As if responding to his thoughts, Iruka saw Naruto's arm draw back farther than it had before to add as much power as physically possible to the hit. Iruka desperately wanted to stop him, to keep the boy from crossing that line, but he knew his voice wouldn't reach now. Closing his eyes, Iruka waited for the inevitable.

Naruto's eyes were locked onto the unfocused ones of the man in front of him. All the fun and happy times they had shared started flashing through the boys mind, but each one was followed by Mizuki's contemptuous laughter or malicious smirk, and Naruto's rage grew with all of them. All the pain, all the abuse, all the contempt of the villagers, all the hard times in his life, none of them compared to what he was feeling now and the man he held by the throat was the cause of it. Naruto's arm drew back, he knew what he was about to do, but he didn't care. He just wanted the pain to stop.

"NARUTO!"

The boy's eyes widened and his arm froze. He felt his grip loosen on Mizuki's throat, allowing the man to fall with a dull thud to the forest floor. Slowly, Naruto turned around, his red eyes still wide as he looked at Jagaa's scarred form bathed in the moonlight less than ten meters away. "Nii…san."

Sarutobi, followed by the Jounin and ANBU of Konoha, came to a stop in the trees surrounding the small clearing. A quick examination of Naruto was all it took for the old man to see that the boy had managed to tap into the dark power sealed within him. The Sandaime could feel the unease of his subordinates as they looked at the blonde boy, some even going so far as to reach for their weapons. The old man just hoped they all would let Jagaa handle it and not do anything rash.

Because it wasn't _Naruto_ he was worried about becoming dangerous if they did.

Naruto stared at his older brother figure in silence, surprise and fear showing in his still red eyes, and when Jagaa started walking towards him, he unconsciously stepped backwards. "S-stay away!"

Jagaa stopped, his expression unreadable. "Why?"

"Because…I'm a monster!" Naruto yelled, tears forming on the edges of his eyes.

"Naruto…" Jagaa started, but Naruto cut him off.

"NO! I'm I demon, a murderer! I almost destroyed Konoha! I killed Iruka-sensei's parents!" Naruto's eyes clenched shut, the tears still standing in his eyes but refusing to fall, "I deserved everything! The glares, the insults, the attacks, I deserved it all! THEY WERE RIGHT TO HATE ME!" A twig snapped in front of him and Naruto opened his eyes, looking up just in time to see Jagaa's fist before it impacted his face. The force of the blow sent him stumbling backwards and twisting around to fall facedown, facing away from Jagaa.

"Are you finished yet?" Jagaa asked in a cool tone, "If you're not, could you tell me so I can get some popcorn or something? I can only take so much melodrama at once." Still on the ground, Naruto raised himself on his elbows and looked back at Jagaa incredulously, his red eyes reverting back to their normal ocean blue.

Jagaa walked forward and kneeled down by the boy, reaching out to lift him to his knees and gently started brushing off the dirt. "But…I suppose this is my fault more than anything. I should have told you about it the same day I found out, but I kept putting it off, waiting for the right time." Jagaa tilted his head up to look directly at Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto. It looks like I screwed up and made you go through something painful."

"Then…you already knew?" Naruto asked in a quavering voice. Jagaa nodded slowly and Naruto looked down. "So I really am…"

"No." Naruto looked up again to see Jagaa shaking his head. "Twelve years ago, being unable to kill the Kyuubi, the Yondaime was left with no choice but to seal its power into a newborn child at the cost of his life, turning that child into the demon's living prison." Jagaa put his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"It's true that you contain the Kyuubi within you, but you are not the Kyuubi itself. After all, a sheath doesn't become a blade just because you put a sword in it, and that's exactly what you are, Naruto. You are the sheath that protects everyone from the blade known as Kyuubi, and a hero to all whose lives you save everyday by being such."

Jagaa raised his right hand and gently started ruffling Naruto's hair. "But I really don't give a damn about any of that. Because, Kyuubi or not," A caring smile rose on the scarred man's lips, "you're still my Otouto."

Naruto couldn't move, couldn't speak, all he could do was stare into Jagaa's face as the tears he had held back finally flowed down his whiskered cheeks. It felt like a wall crumbled away inside him and soon he threw himself forward, burying his face into Jagaa's shoulder and crying like a brokenhearted child as his older brother wordlessly wrapped his arms around him comfortingly.

He cried because of the burden he was forced to carry, he cried for all the abuse and suffering he had endured because of that burden, and the betrayal it had brought him tonight. He cried because he knew he could, because he had brother that loved him enough to let him, to let all the pain and sorrow he had stored through the years finally find release.

It was in that small clearing bathed by the moonlight, watched by the all the highest ranking Ninja of Konoha and held in the comforting embrace of his older brother that Naruto cried.

Knowing for the first time in his life why he did.


	7. Dealing With Others

Sarutobi looked at the form in his hand with a slight twitch developing in his right eye before looking back up at the happily grinning subject of the photo

**A/N:** I'm having trouble getting in touch with my beta, so this chap has been posted un-betad…again. Hope I didn't make too many mistakes.

**Disclaimer:** You know, it's getting harder and harder to come up with creative ways of saying the same damn thing every freaking time. Do I really _need_ to tell you all what you already know?

**Chapter 7:** Dealing With Others

Sarutobi looked at the form in his hand with a slight twitch developing in his right eye before looking back up at the happily grinning subject of the documents photo. "Retake it." He said flatly.

"What? No way!" Naruto declared hotly, his grin vanishing, "It took forever to get a pose that good!"

Sarutobi held up the file, showing Naruto's picture. The boy's face had been painted white with a red spiral while he frowned at the camera with his hand in front of him painted in the same manner. "This is an official document showing that you know a Kinjutsu, take the picture seriously."

"I was taking it seriously! That's why I wanted such a cool pose!" Naruto protested, squinting his eyes at the old man.

Sarutobi sighed and looked over to the figure leaning casually against the wall. "Would you please say something to him?"

Jagaa shrugged, "You told him to get a picture taken, but you never put any guidelines on it. It's not _my_ fault you didn't take his personality into account."

Sarutobi sighed again looking at the Hitai-ate tied around Jagaa's right bicep, the blue cloth it normally set on having been replaced by a black one. '_Why did I think just because he's wearing that, that he would actually start listening to me?_' The old man thought ruefully.

Turning back to Naruto, Sarutobi put on a stern expression. "Just retake the picture."

"No." Naruto declared defiantly.

"Retake it!" The old man grated out.

"Not a chance." Naruto growled back.

Their eyes met, a jolt of electricity shot between them, sparking and crackling as their battle of wills continued. A flash of light off to the side cut the contest short and both competitors looked over to see Jagaa with his disposable camera in hand. "What?" He asked innocently.

Sarutobi shook his head and turned back to Naruto. "You _will_ retake the picture."

"We'll see about that!" Naruto yelled before forming the ram seal, "**Henge**!"

Sarutobi's eyes widened, '_Oh no, that's…_' His thought was left unfinished as he was hit full on by the sight of Naruto's _Oiroke no Jutsu_. A second later, Sarutobi was blasted backwards by the force of his nose bleed even as another flash of light came from the side.

"Dear Kami. _Please_ let that picture turn out good." Jagaa prayed as he loving stroked his camera.

"STOP USING THAT RIDICULOUS TECHNIQUE!" Sarutobi shouted so loud that even Naruto fell back in fright, covering his ears.

"For something so ridiculous, it's sure effective on _you_." Jagaa muttered just loud enough to hear, earning a glare from the old man.

Unknown to any of them, a pair of large brown eyes was watching the events through the cracked door.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, covering his eyes with his hand. "Whatever, I don't care anymore."

"I think that means you win, Naruto." Jagaa said to the boy, who smiled victoriously as he flashed the 'V' sign.

Suddenly the door slammed open and a small, brown haired boy who couldn't be older than ten, wearing a long blue scarf dashed in wielding a wooden shuriken. "Old man, fight me!" He challenged, charging towards the Sandaime…only to trip on his own scarf and land face first on the wooden floor. "Gah, a trap. What a dirty trick." The boy muttered as he pushed himself off the ground.

'_Who the hell is this kid?_' Both Naruto and Jagaa thought at the same time.

"Young Master," A man wearing a blue sweat shirt, blue Shinobi pants, a pair of circular sunglasses, and a Konoha _Hitai-ate_ completely covering his head called out in concern. "Are you okay? By the way, there are no traps."

Watching the scene, Jagaa reached up and brushed his own sunglasses with his finger tips. '_Mine look better._' He thought smugly.

Standing up, the young boy looked around the room until his eyes fell on Naruto, who was still watching the boy with a confused expression. "YOU!" The boy cried out, stomping over to Naruto. "You're the one who tripped me aren't you?"

"What!?" Naruto yelled, grabbing the boy by the front of his shirt, "You tripped your own damn self, so don't go accusing me!"

"How dare you act so rudely to the Young Master!" The new man yelled. "Do you have any idea who that is? That is the honorable grandson of the Sandaime Hokage!"

Naruto looked up to the man and then back to the boy he was holding by the shirt, but said nothing on the subject.

The boy looked up at Naruto and his face twisted into a sneer. '_Heh, he's just like everybody else. As soon as he hears I'm the grandson of the Hokage, he's afraid to do anything._' Confident in his assessment, the boy started yelling at Naruto. "What's the matter? Weren't you going to hit me? Does the fact I'm the grandson of the Hokage scare you! Why don't you do something you chicken?"

If anyone had been looking at him, they would have seen Jagaa's finger hovering over the shutter button of his camera.

Naruto snapped. "YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT WHOSE GRANDSON YOU ARE, DUMBASS!" Naruto emphasized his insult by driving his fist into the top of the boy's head, the strike accompanied by yet another flash of light.

'_This…this guy…_' The boy thought incredulously as he fell to the floor with a thud.

"Young master!" The man cried, dropping on his knees next to the boy.

"This is a great day for pictures." Jagaa commented, smirking at the less than pleased look on the Sandaime's face.

"I'm out of here!" Naruto declared, stomping towards the door, "I'll see you at home, Nii-san."

Jagaa just waved in acknowledgment as the boy stormed out.

"Who…who was that guy?" The boy asked, one hand holding his head as the other pushed up to his knees.

"Young master, you shouldn't concern yourself with a person like _him_. He is nothing but trouble." The man said as he proudly thumped his chest, "Instead you should…" The man froze mid sentence when he felt a slowly rising killing intent focusing on him. Turning around, he saw Jagaa leaning against the wall and his eye's widened. "Y-you…"

"It looks like you didn't notice I was here. Not much of a Shinobi are you." Jagaa said in a low voice. "Now, why don't you explain to me _exactly_ what you meant by that comment about Naruto."

The man took a small step back. "N-nothing, nothing at all. He's a fine boy." The killing intent in the room dissipated and Jagaa gave the man a smirk.

"He is isn't he? Glad you're such a good judge of character." It was clear there was a hidden challenge behind Jagaa's smirk, but the man had no intention of taking it.

"Ebisu," Sarutobi cut in, "It's time for you to leave."

The man called Ebisu gave a barely audible sigh of relief. "Of course, Hokage-sama." He looked down to were the boy had been kneeling a few moments ago, "Come along Young Master we should…Gahh, where did the Young Master go?"

"I believe he followed Naruto." The Sandaime remarked off handedly.

"AHH, YOUNG MASTER!" Ebisu yelled, bolting out the door to begin his frantic search for his missing student.

"I think that guy has a few screws loose." Jagaa commented after Ebisu had run out of the room.

"He's very passionate about his job." Sarutobi said before frowning at Jagaa, "Did you really need to threaten him though?"

"Huh?" Jagaa asked, turning his head away and scratching his chin, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Sarutobi sighed for what he was sure was the millionth time that day. "Just try to refrain from doing it in the future please." He almost pleaded.

"No promises." Jagaa smirked, turning to exit the room. "Now, I think I'll go look for Anko and see if she wants to go out for drinks."

"Don't forget that you're supposed to come back at seven for your first official Jounin assignment." The Sandaime called after him.

"Hai, hai." Jagaa said dismissively, waving his scarred arm in acknowledgement as he walked through the door way.

Sarutobi sighed and leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Dealing with the combination of both Naruto and Jagaa was making the old man feel his years, and he had a lot of them to feel. It also didn't help that the events of the night before had caused a great deal of tension throughout the Shinobi ranks regarding the pair.

For Naruto, it was the fact that he had drawn on the Kyuubi's chakra. A fair amount Jounin had been frightened by the sight, some going so far as to say that the seal was weakening and that the Kyuubi was breaking free, a few even trying to say he should be executed for the safety of the village.

On the other hand, there were also Jounin who defended the young boy. Using Jagaa's metaphor of Naruto being a 'Sheath' and that a blade could be drawn from the sheath when needed, holding firm to the argument that Naruto using the foxes power to fight was no different than using a sword or Kunai. That it was his _weapon_. Fortunately, it was Ninja such as Kakashi, Gai, Tsume, Asuma, and several other well known Ninja of Konoha that were siding with the boy, so most of the people sitting on the fence about it were more willing to believe them over the others.

'_The situation is to be expected though._' Sarutobi grudgingly admitted to himself. He knew that Naruto's using the Kyuubi's chakra would cause problems for Naruto, especially after his talk with Jagaa the night before. It was hard for people to let go of their fears, no matter how long ago it was.

'_I wonder if that's why he did it?_' The old man asked himself, '_Was he trying to take some of the focus off of Naruto?_' Sarutobi's mind drifted back to the night before.

/Flashback/

_Sarutobi could only watch as Jagaa held Naruto, letting the boy find release for twelve years of pain that he had held inside. How long the two kneeled together in that moonlit clearing, the old man wasn't sure. He just wished he could have done something to stop things from turning out this way._

'The truth is that I could have._' The old man thought to himself ruefully. It was a fact that he was forced to look in the face more with every passing moment. Knowing that he _could_ have done more for Naruto, but hadn't. It wasn't a pleasant feeling._

_A slight glow caught his attention, and the Sandaime looked up to see a small amount of chakra forming at the tip of Jagaa's right index finger._

"_Sleep now, Otouto." Jagaa said, touching Naruto's temple with the chakra. The boy's immediately closed and his body went limp in his brother's arms. Putting his left arm under Naruto's thighs, Jagaa lifted him up so that the boy was held in front of him, his arms wrapped around the older mans neck and his head resting on Jagaa's shoulder._

"_What did you do?" Sarutobi asked, walking up to Jagaa._

"_That was a jutsu to put a person into a dreamless sleep." Jagaa responded quietly, "I made it when I found out that Naruto was having nightmares nearly every night."_

_The old man felt his stomach twist into a knot, fully aware of where those nightmares must have come from._

"_Heh…ha ha…how pathetic." Sarutobi and Jagaa looked over to see Mizuki, having just regained consciousness, being lifted up by two ANBU as he laughed mockingly. "You're just a demon lover. You're no better than that damn little Demon Brat."_

_Sarutobi was about to chastise Mizuki, but never got the chance as he was hit by a rush of air before a gurgled scream filled the air, leaving the old man staring at the scene in front of him in a state of shock, gasps running through the trees as the two ANBU tripped backwards and away from Mizuki._

_Mizuki clutched at the blade that had passed through his throat to come out the back of his neck. His eyes were wide and filled with terror as he looked into the calm face of the one holding the weapon, his cries coming out as nothing but frothing blood and choking sounds._

"_You're right." Jagaa said coolly, still holding the sleeping boy in his left arm, "Naruto is a much better person than me. He would have actually felt bad about killing you." Jagaa twisted the blade in Mizuki's throat and wrenched to the right, freeing his sword by cutting through half of the white haired man's neck._

_Mizuki's final cry was drowned out by the blood spilling from his throat as he fell twitching to the forest floor. Without a word, Jagaa calmly wiped his blade on the dead man's cloths before sliding it into the sheath on his back. Shifting the sleeping Naruto to better support the boy's weight, Jagaa turned and walked back to the Hokage, stopping as he reached the old mans side. "Know this, old man. Nobody gets away with hurting Naruto. Not your Ninja, not your Villagers…not even you." Sarutobi couldn't find his voice as Jagaa continued to walk away._

"_I'll come pick up my Hitai-ate tomorrow, do me a favor and get me one with a black cloth would ya." Jagaa called back as he disappeared into the night, leaving the shaken group of Ninja behind him._

/Flashback End/

Sarutobi looked out the window, watching the birds flutter through the trees as they sang. Jagaa's actions, combined with the way the man had practically threatened to kill the village leader earlier that night, had sparked almost as much controversy amongst the Ninja ranks as Naruto had. Some admired him for his dedication to protecting his adopted brother, while others criticized him for being the protector of a demon and his willingness to kill. One thing that was agreed on by all of them though, was that it was a _very_ bad idea to try to hurt Naruto with Jagaa protecting him.

'_The future looks like it will be quite interesting indeed…if not exhausting._' Sarutobi thought, taking a long draw off his pipe. He sat in his chair for sometime, calmly smoking his pipe and enjoying the small moment of peace. Unfortunately, that peace was disturbed by a call of nature.

"The worst part about getting old is that your bladder gets old with you." Sarutobi chuckled to himself as he attempted to push himself out of his chair, 'Attempted' being the key word, because he soon found himself unable to do so. "What in the world?" Sarutobi asked out loud, looking down at the chair as best he could. As he did, he felt his foot kick a light weight object beneath his desk. Frowning, he used his foot to pull the unknown object into view and his eyes widened.

An empty bottle labeled "Elephant Glue" with smaller print of "Worlds Strongest Super Glue" below it, was facing up at him. On the bottom of the label, a small picture of a Smiley Face in Sunglasses was flashing the "V" sign.

Sarutobi stared at the bottle for several minutes, his mind slowly working its way to only conclusion that this could mean, until finally…

"JAAAGGAAAAA!"

X X X X X

Jagaa was about a mile from the Hokage tower when he heard his name echo through the air shouted like a vile curse.

"I guess he finally noticed. I'll have to thank Naruto for getting him to fall out of his chair with that nose bleed or else I wouldn't have been able to pull it off." Jagaa laughed as he continued walking, "I have to say though, for such an old geezer, he has a good set of lungs."

"Indeed he does." A voice said directly behind Jagaa. With a yelp of surprise, Jagaa drew his sword and made a slash for the unknown person. With yelp of his own, the man managed to duck the attack just in time, losing tip of one of his silver spikes of hair. "That was close." Kakashi said sounding relieved. "You almost cut through my book." He held up the item to emphasis his point.

"You almost get decapitated and you're worried about your book." Jagaa deadpanned. "Why are you sneaking up on me anyway…No wait, screw that. _How_ did you even manage _to_ sneak up on me? It's definitely _not_ an easy thing to do."

"Actually, I already knew that because of our meeting five years ago. That's why I used _Shunpo_ from a distance to get behind you before you would notice me." Kakashi smiled and Jagaa's eyebrow twitched.

"May I ask _why_ you felt the need to sneak up on me, especially considering it seems to require a fair amount of effort?" Jagaa asked in coolly.

Kakashi's smile widened. "Because it was fun."

"I see…" Jagaa appeared to be pondering the answer before raising his head a little, "Have I told you today that I hate you?"

"Nope, not today."

"Well, I just did."

"I figured that."

Jagaa shook his head in exasperation while Kakashi continued to smile.

"Whatever, I'm going to go find Anko now. I really need a drink." Jagaa said as he turned to leave, but was stopped by a strange chill running down his spine. "What the hell was that?" He asked, looking around.

"You felt it too?" Kakashi asked, sounding almost smug, "That must mean you really have been targeted."

"What do you mean by 'Targeted'?" Jagaa asked suspiciously.

Kakashi smiled. "Oh you'll find out in approximately…5…4…3…2…1…"

"KAKASHI, JAGAA, I HAVE FINALLY FOUND YOU, MY ETERNAL RIVALS!" Gai's shout rang out as the man himself dashed up with a dust cloud following his wake.

Jagaa turned to Kakashi in confusion. "Did he say 'Rivals'?"

Kakashi nodded.

"As in plural?"

Another nod.

"Meaning he's saying that _both_ of us are his…uh…Eternal Rivals?"

Another nod, this time accompanied by a smile.

"How exactly did this happen?"

Kakashi just smiled.

"…I hate you."

Gai finally finished his mad dash, sliding to a stop in front of Jagaa and Kakashi. Taking a few quick breaths, Gai straightened his back and snapped into the nice guy pose. "Hello my Eternal Rivals, it is good to see you both on this Youthful morning!"

Jagaa could only stare at the strange man in amazement before turning back to Kakashi. "I may have asked this before, but is this guy really okay?" Kakashi simply shrugged in response once again.

"KAKASHI!" Gai shouted, making both the other men jump, "I wish I could use our meeting today to break our tie, but unfortunately I have come to challenge Jagaa to our first ever competition, so you will have to be patient!"

"Hmm, did you say something?" Kakashi asked, looking up from his book. His outward appearance was completely calm, but mentally he was doing cartwheels and back hand springs in his excitement over Gai having found someone else to bother.

"OH MY GOD!" Gai screamed out, grabbing his head, "KAKASHI, THAT ATTITUDE OF YOURS IS SO HIP AND PISSES ME OFF!"

Jagaa watched the exchange with raised eyebrows. At Gai's reaction to Kakashi's statement, the events of the other night at the Jounin bar ran through his mind, causing Jagaa to smack himself in the forehead. "I get it now…that would be just my luck." He muttered.

"NOW, JAGAA," Gai yelled, pointing at the dirty blonde, "I CHALLENGE YOU TO OUR FIRST EVER CONTEST!"

Jagaa scratched the side of his head. "Uhh, does that mean you want to fight me?"

"It doesn't have to be a fight!" Gai clarified, "Just a contest in which only one of us can be victorious, thereby proving which one of us is superior! Seeing as this is our first contest, I will even allow _you_ to choose the event!"

Kakashi watched in anticipation as Jagaa put his chin in his hand in thought. With any luck, Jagaa would win the first event and increase Gai's desire to defeat him, subsequently reducing the strange Jounin's desire to beat Kakashi himself. As the thoughts of possible freedom ran through his mind, Kakashi noticed something strange.

Jagaa was smiling.

However, the fact he was smiling wasn't the strange part. It was the _way_ he was smiling. There was something about it, something Kakashi felt he should recognize, but wasn't quite sure why. He shook his head lightly to clear away his thoughts of freedom and focused more on the situation.

"Okay," Jagaa said, his smile still in place, "I'll take you up on your offer."

"YOSH," Gai shouted in excitement, "WHAT WILL THE CHALLENGE BE? I'LL DEFEAT YOU NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOSE, MY NEWEST ETERNAL RIVAL!"

Jagaa's smile widened slightly and he spoke enthusiastically. "Yosh, then I challenge you to race! First one to do five hundred laps around Konoha is the winner!"

Gai gaped at Jagaa incredulously before tears of joy started pouring down his face. "THE FLAMES OF MY NEW ETERNAL RIVAL BURN SO BRIGHTLY! KAKASHI HAS NEVER BEEN SO PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR CONTESTS!" Gai made yet another nice guy pose and smiled with a sparkle of teeth of his teeth that Jagaa didn't seem to mind (A small fact that made Kakashi realize the advantages that could come from wearing sunglasses all the time.), "NOW, MY NEW 'NUMBER ONE' ETERNAL RIVAL, LET OUR CHALLENGE COMENCE! AND SHOULD I LOSE I WILL DO AN EXTRA _THOUSAND_ LAPS AROUND KONOHA!"

'_He's been made the number one, Jagaa's _Number One_!_' Kakashi thought in exhilaration, '_I'm almost as good as free now!_'

"All right, let's get started!" Jagaa grinned and turned to Kakashi, "Kakashi, make your self useful and call the start for us."

Still looking calm on the outside despite doing mental cartwheels of joy, Kakashi took his place off to the side of them as both Gai and Jagaa prepared themselves for the race. "Are both of you ready?" To confirming nods answered him, Gai's making look like his head would fly off. "All right then." Kakashi raised his arm, "On your mark…get set…GO!"

A blast of wind tore through the street and a trail of dust and dirt rose up along the road. Kakashi watched down the street, smiling in victory. '_Gai may never bother me again if Jagaa is this willing to compete with people. I'm so happy right now I could cry...I won't because that would ruin my image, but I really could if it weren't for that._' Feeling incredibly lucky for the way things turned out, Kakashi started turning to leave…only to freeze in place at the sight of the starting line.

Jagaa was still there. Standing with his arms folded and watching the fading cloud of dust.

As Kakashi gaped in disbelief, Jagaa turned to him wearing the same strange smile he had worn while making the challenge. "I guess he wins." Jagaa said with a laugh before turning and walking off.

Kakashi stared after him, his mouth hanging open beneath his mask. "He…He…He tricked him…" Kakashi mumbled, "And knowing Gai, he won't even notice he was tricked until he's finished the race." Suddenly Kakashi remembered _exactly_ where he had seen that smile before. It was the same smile he had when he taped that note to the Hokage's back a year ago, and the same type of smile that Naruto was well known for.

It was a Prankster's smile.

He watched Jagaa for a little longer before following the black clothed man, a sort of awe shining out of his visible eye. '_I think he just became my hero._'

X X X X X

Naruto walked casually down the alley, his arms behind his head and whistling a tune. He was still a bit irritated by the fact the old man had wanted him to retake his picture despite the amount of effort he had put into it, but it was slowly fading with each step he took. He never was able to stay mad at the old man for very long, probably because the aged Hokage had been one of the few people who had been kind to him when he was little. That didn't stop the boy from vowing that, when _he_ became Hokage, people would be allowed to take whatever kind of picture they wanted for their profiles.

Later in life he would reflect on this vow and realize that would be a very _bad_ idea…for various reasons.

As he walked, Naruto came across something extremely odd. The fence he had been paralleling had a section of it that looked like the wood was put in left to right instead of up and down. Upon closer inspection, Naruto also saw a pair of small hands curled around the top of the section, making it obvious that it was a cloth being held up by the unknown person in a poor attempt to conceal their self by blending into the fence.

Naruto stared at the strange sight for a few seconds before clearing his throat pointedly. "You know you're not fooling anyone, right?"

The cloth gave a guilty twitch before a young voice spoke behind it, "Heh heh, just what I would expect from you." The concealing cloth was thrown away to reveal the same boy that Naruto had walloped earlier, looking at Naruto and smirking, "You are quite perceptive to have noticed me."

'_Uh, I would have had to be blind not to._' Naruto thought before addressing the boy again. "What do you want, Chibi?"

"Train me!" The boy commanded.

Naruto was almost floored by the response. "Huh!?"

"I want you to teach me that move you used to defeat my Grandfather!" The boy emphasized, dropping to his hands and knees, "Please teach me, Boss!"

'_Boss?_' Naruto turned the title over in his mind a few times, '_It does have a nice ring to it._' He admitted to himself before looking down at the boy again. '_Eh, why not? It's not like I have anything better to do._'

"Okay Gaki, I'll teach you my super powerful and unrivaled _Oiroke no Jutsu_!" Naruto announced dramatically, "You'd better be grateful!"

The boy sprang to his feet and saluted smartly, an eager grin spread across his face. "YES SIR!"

Naruto nodded in approval, "So, what's your name kid?"

The boys smile stretched further than ever, "Konohamaru, my name is Konohamaru."

X X X X X

"You sure she'll be here?" Jagaa asked Kakashi as the taller man led him into a popular dango stand.

"She usually is around lunch time." Kakashi replied without taking his eyes off his book, "She likes dango almost as much as Naruto likes ramen."

"I _really_ hope your exaggerating." Jagaa said in an almost fearful tone.

Kakashi shrugged, "Maybe I am, but not by much."

Jagaa shuddered slightly at the thought. It had taken him almost a year to get his taste for ramen back after the first time he saw Naruto shoveling it down his throat. He'd rather not lose his taste for dango right now. Well, at least if it _was_ true he had some kind of warning this time, where as with Naruto it had been a complete shock to his system. "Any way," Jagaa said aloud, pulling himself out of his thoughts, "I can't find her with all these other people here. Do you see her?"

"No, but that's okay." Kakashi smiled, "As long as _she_ sees _you_, we won't have to look for her."

Jagaa tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"JAGAA-CHAN!"

It was the only thing Jagaa heard before the air rushed out of his lungs and he was tackled to the floor by the very person he had been looking for. '_Oh, that's what it meant._' Jagaa thought weakly as he struggled to regain his breath while Anko straddled his waist, smiling down at him.

"Hi, Jagaa-chan. Did you come here looking for me?" Anko asked the prone man who lay unmoving beneath her. Her smile turned into a small frown at his lack of response. "Jagaa-chan?"

"Leave me alone. I'm dead."

Anko smirked down at the man beneath her. "That's okay. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a Necrophiliac."

Jagaa tilted his head a bit so that Anko was looking directly into his face. "That's a bit…disturbing."

"Isn't it though?" Anko laughed.

"Now might be a good time for you two to stop." Kakashi said, pointing his thumb to the side, "You're starting to scare people."

Anko and Jagaa twisted their heads in opposite directions as to examine the crowd surrounding them before focusing back on Kakashi and replying in unison. "So?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Anko, is that you over there causing another commotion?" A female voice called.

Jagaa's face actually brightened a bit at the familiar voice. "Oh, it's the princess." He raised his arm and waved at Kurenai, who had just managed to push her way through the crowd. "Hi Princess, did you miss me?"

Kurenai's red narrowed on the man on the floor. "Oh, it's _you_. I supposed I should have guessed." It was then she noticed the position Jagaa and Anko were in and her eye twitched visibly. "Don't you two think you could try to show at least a _little_ shame?"

Jagaa's expression became confused and he turned back to Anko. "What is this 'Shame' she speaks of?"

"I'm not sure." Anko answered with her own confused expression, "Maybe it's some kind of food."

"Really?" Jagaa questioned unsurely, "If it is, it doesn't sound very appetizing."

Anko frowned, "That's true. It doesn't." The woman then brightened with excitement. "Maybe it's something sexual!"

Jagaa shook his head. "No way, you'd definitely know what it was if that was the case."

"Hmm, good point." Anko conceded.

Kurenai started rubbing her temples in irritation as the pair continued on there verbal journey to the mystery of what 'Shame' may be. She should have known this would happen. The two of them were so much alike it was scary.

"These two could be siblings with how alike they are." Kurenai said out loud, instantly catching the attention of Jagaa and Anko.

"Did you here that? She said we could be brother and sister." Anko said in excitement.

Jagaa frowned a little. "Hmm, but if that's true…wouldn't that mean what we did the other night was Incest?"

Anko looked down at him in realization. "Oh, you're right. That would be Incest wouldn't it?"

The two continued to stare at each other, and Kurenai felt a twinge of fear as she took the pair's personalities into account. '_Please don't say it! Please don't say it!_'

Anko, it seems, didn't hear the mental plea. "…That's kind of hot."

"You think so to?"

Kurenai screamed.

X X X X X

"WRONG!" Naruto shouted at Konohamaru, who had just henged into a decidedly overweight brunette. "Make it slimmer, more sexy!"

"Got it, Boss!" The boy shouted and performed the _Henge_ again, this time becoming almost bone thin. "How's this?"

"No, No, NO!" Naruto shouted, "That looks like she's Anorexic or something!" Scratching his head in frustration, Naruto reluctantly decided it was time to pull out his last resort. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one was watching Naruto reached into his Kunai pouch and pulled out a rolled up magazine. "Okay, I didn't really want it to come to this, but it's clear that this is going to require desperate measures." He told the boy who was looking at him in confusion. "I stole this from my friend Kiba a while back. It may be a bit extreme, but if you can't figure out what you need for a successful _Oiroke no Jutsu_ from this, then there is nothing I can do for you." Naruto finished by holding the magazine out in front of him for the younger boy to take.

Eyes shining with excitement, Konohamaru eagerly snatched the magazine out the blonde's hand. Not even looking at the cover after he unrolled it, the boy opened it to somewhere around the middle and examine the contents.

Four seconds later, Naruto was privileged to seeing the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage do a wonderful impression of his grandfather as he was launched backwards by a violent nosebleed.

"I think he understands now." Naruto said out loud, walking over and picking up the blood soaked magazine by two fingers and grimacing, "So much for returning it to Kiba some day." Looking around, he saw a trash can about twenty meters away, and just beyond that, a vending machine. Smiling at his luck, Naruto headed towards them. "At least I can get something to drink while I wait for him to wake up."

X X X X X

Approximately five hours after the start of the race, Maito Gai arrived back at the starting point, doubled over and clutching his knees while panting heavily. Turing around so that he was facing the way he came, he raised his head with a victorious smile. "Ha…ha ha…I win…Jagaa-san." He stopped to pant heavily for bit more before forcing himself to stand upright, grinning proudly.

"Now I simply have to wait for my opponent's arrival."

X X X X X

"Yes, that's it! You finally got it!" Naruto cheered, jumping up and down in excitement. Konohamaru would have been doing the same, but he was still trying to catch his breath after the several hundred (or at least that's how many it seemed like to him) Henges he had just done.

"Congratulations, Konohamaru! You've managed to do the _Oiroke no Jutsu_!" Naruto exclaimed, patting the boy on the back before pointing to the vending machine, "Go get something to drink and take a break. Once you've rested a bit, we'll do a few more to make certain that you've got it down pat."

"Yes, Boss!" Konohamaru saluted before walking a little unsteadily to where Naruto had pointed.

Naruto frowned as he watched the boy go. He didn't remember being that tired when he had created the technique, and he was sure it had taken him longer to get it down than it had Konohamaru. With a shrug, Naruto decided that it must just be that his chakra reserves were better than the other boy's at that age.

"Huh, oh, Naruto, what are you doing here?" Naruto spun around at the appearance of the new voice to find Iruka standing about twenty meters away, the white bandages covering his wounds from the previous night showing clearly on his face.

"Iruka-sensei?" The blonde boy asked in surprise, "I thought you were in the hospital. Were you released already?"

Iruka shifted a bit guiltily on his feet. "Ah, well, sort of. They wanted me to stay another night just in case, but didn't feel it was really necessary, so…" The Chuunin left the sentence unfinished.

Naruto stared at the man in amazement, "You mean you actually _snuck out_?" Naruto suddenly felt extremely pleased that the man had done something that he would have done.

"Um, yeah." Iruka admitted shamefully. "Not setting a very good example as a teacher am I."

Naruto laughed in response. "Well, it's better than Nii-san. He actually _helps_ people sneak out."

Iruka couldn't help but let out a small laugh of his own. Afterwards though, his face became concerned as he looked down at the boy. "Naruto, are you, well, feeling all right today. You know…after last night and all." Iruka had the urge to bight his own tongue off when he saw the cheerfulness fall away from the boy's face. He knew he should have just kept his mouth shut, but his worry for the young boy had overridden his ability to be more tactful. He was just about to apologize to the Genin, when Naruto surprised him by smiling gratefully.

"Thanks for worrying, Iruka-sensei, but I'm all right. I actually feel better than I have in a long time." At Iruka's somewhat skeptical look, Naruto elaborated. "I'm not saying that what Mizuki-se…what Mizuki did wasn't painful, but because of him, I finally learned why I've always been treated the way I have. Something I've wanted to know my entire life. I think, really needed that." Naruto raised his head and looked up through an opening in the trees. His smile softening as he remembered the words Jagaa had said to him, and how his brother had held him as he finally found release for his hidden pain, but most importantly of all, how Jagaa had called him 'Otouto' for the first time since they had met.

"Yeah, I think I needed everything that happened last night." He said, his voice barely carrying above the sound of the wind passing through the trees.

Iruka stared down at the boy with a hint of pride in his eyes. "You really are something, Naruto."

Naruto grinned foxily at him. "Of course, I'm the future Hokage after all." Both of them shared a laugh at the boy's declaration.

"Hey, Boss, I'm ready again!" Konohamaru's voice range out as the brown haired boy ran over to where Naruto and Iruka were standing.

Iruka did a small double when he saw who the new arrival was. "Excuse me, but aren't you the grandson of the Sandaime? What are you doing here?"

"Boss has been teaching me a super powerful new technique that can even take down my Grandpa!" Konohamaru explained enthusiastically, earning a confused frown from the Chuunin. "Boss?" Iruka questioned.

"That would be me." Naruto said proudly.

Iruka turned and looked at Naruto, a sense of foreboding settling in his stomach. "Naruto? You're teaching the Hokage's grandson a technique?" Naruto nodded vigorously and the feeling in Iruka's stomach amplified. "May I ask exactly _what_ technique you're teaching him?"

Naruto and Konohamaru looked at Iruka for a moment, then at each other, and then back to Iruka, both wearing evil smiles.

Iruka wished he hadn't asked.

X X X X X

"You need to lighten up, Nai-chan." Anko egged Kurenai playfully as they walked down the dusty road a ways behind Jagaa and Kakashi as the four of them made their way to Hokage tower, "We were just joking." A wide grin split Anko's face. "Well, mostly."

Kurenai let out a frustrated sigh. "It's the 'We' part that is making this so hard to deal with. At least when it's just you, you have a little bit of restraint, but when you throw _him_," Kurenai practically spat the word, "into the mix, you get five times worse." As she finished, Kurenai glared at the current object of her ire, who was currently up ahead of them amusing himself by subtly trying to guide Kakashi into walking into a telephone pole while his nose was in his book.

"You know, Nai-chan, don't you think you might be being a little too hard on Jagaa-chan?" Anko asked in a surprisingly serious tone. "I would've thought, after seeing what happened last night, you might be willing to rethink your opinion of him."

"I remember quite clearly the events of last night, Anko." Kurenai responded coldly, "I remember him disrespecting, even threatening, the Hokage. I remember him threatening to kill a fellow Jounin as he drove the man to the floor with killing intent. But most importantly, I remember the cold blooded murder of a man who was already in custody and was too wounded to even defend himself. Exactly what, out of all that, is supposed to improve my opinion of him?"

"Oh, I don't know." Anko answered back coolly, "How about the part where he let Naruto cry on his shoulder as he hugged the boy comfortingly, or when he admitted to the Hokage that he developed a jutsu for a dreamless sleep when he learned that Naruto suffered from nightmares, or when you ask yourself what _you_ would have done to Mizuki if you were in Jagaa's place." The edge in Anko's voice when she said the final part made it very clear that if it what _she_ would have done to Mizuki would have been far worse than what Jagaa had.

Kurenai looked into Anko's eyes for a moment, seeing the challenge reflected in them, before looking ahead again at the person they were talking about, seeing him snap his fingers in disappointment when Kakashi narrowly avoided the latest attempt at walking him into telephone pole.

It was hard for her to admit, but she understood what Anko was saying. She could remember the small amount of resentment shed felt towards the village leader when he had claimed to have done everything in his power to protect Naruto, and could even force herself to admit that she had found some satisfaction Jagaa shouted the claim down.

However, the fact that she had felt a slight thrill at the power he displayed by bringing the other Jounin to his knees, or that she had gotten butterflies in her stomach seeing the caring way Jagaa had comforted Naruto, she wouldn't admit to even under torture.

Still watching Jagaa as he tried to aim Kakashi for yet another telephone pole, the image of Jagaa and Naruto in that moonlit clearing entered her mind, and her eyes softened slightly. '_Maybe he really does have some good points._'

Suddenly, both Jagaa and Kakashi stopped dead in there tracks, Kakashi lowering his book to stare in disbelief at something further in front of them. Looking at each other in confusion, Kurenai and Anko made their way up to stand behind the pair. "What's up?" Anko asked, slapping Jagaa on the back.

"He's actually still there." Kakashi answered in Jagaa's stead. Looking past the two men, Anko and Kurenai saw a lone, all too recognizable figure standing in the middle of the road and looking the other way. "What's Gai doing here?" Anko asked.

"So how are you going to get out of this?" Kakashi asked Jagaa. "Once he finds out that you never actually ran the race, you'll never get rid of him."

Jagaa's answering smile was the same one he had worn before the start of the race, and Kakashi actually felt excited at seeing whatever Jagaa was planning. Anko and Kurenai just stared on in utter confusion as the four of them started moving towards Gai.

Gai was starting to get drowsy as he continued to watch the direction he was certain Jagaa would come from. It had been almost an hour now, and he was starting to wonder if maybe Jagaa had run afoul of something and was having trouble finishing the race. He would give the other man a few more minutes and go looking for him. After all, he couldn't let his newest rival be unable to finish their challenge.

"Oh, hey Gai, you finally showed up."

Gai's eyes widened at the voice of the very person he was waiting on and he whirled around to face the four people who had walked up behind him. "Jagaa-san? Why are you coming from that way? I've been awaiting your arrival patiently for some time now thinking you hadn't finished the race."

Jagaa frowned, confusion shining on his face. "What are you talking about? I finished before you did."

If Gai hadn't been so shocked by Jagaa's statement, he might have seen Kakashi almost drop his book along with Kurenai and Anko's mouths falling open.

"W-what? How is that possible?" Gai asked incredulously.

"You don't remember?" Jagaa asked, his frown still in place, "I passed you one hundred and thirteen times…or was it one hundred and fourteen…maybe one hundred and twelve…I don't know for sure. I started losing count somewhere in the nineties." Jagaa shrugged, "Anyway, after I was finished, Kakashi and I waited for you for about twenty minutes, but I got bored and decided to go look for Anko and Kakashi offered to take me to her usual hangout. Sorry for ditching you like that, but I'm not very good at waiting on people."

Gai felt like he was going to have a melt down. How could he have been passed so many times without realizing it? Was Jagaa really that fast? Maybe he had just been so absorbed in the race that he had not paid enough attention to his surroundings. Yes, that made sense. He had gotten so excited about having a willing opponent that he had failed to pay attention and didn't notice he was being passed, that had to be it. Nodding to himself at the explanation, Gai looked up and went straight into his 'Nice Guy' pose.

"Jagaa-san, it seems that today I have not only lost, but have discovered the dangers of letting my Flames of Youth burn to powerfully and make me unable to see what is happening around me! I thank you for this lesson and will resolve to correct this error, but first, I must honor our agreement and run another thousand laps around our fair village! I look forward to our next match!" Without waiting for an answer, Gai turned back around and dashed of screaming, "POWER OF YOOOUUUTTTHHH!"

Jagaa watched the man fade off into the distance with an astonished expression. "Holy shit, it actually worked! He's even more gullible than I thought! Hmm, to bad it probably won't work again though. Guess I'll have to think up something else next time." Turning back to the other three, he smiled impudently. "Shall we get going?" With a laugh at their shocked expressions, Jagaa continued on his way down the road.

Kurenai, Anko, and Kakashi stared after him for a moment before looking at each other. Anko was the first to break out of her stupor by throwing on a huge grin and running after Jagaa, jumping on his back as soon as she reached him shouting, "Jagaa-chan!" in a sing song voice.

Kakashi to started following soon after, his visible eye shining with admiration. '_He's a god. A Gai manipulating GOD!_'

Kurenai, however, was less than pleased at Jagaa's blatant lying and complete lack of guilt at doing so. In fact, it was taking everything she had not to go up and start berating him for it. The only thing stopping her was that she knew it would be completely futile due to the man's personality, and probably make her even more aggravated than she already was.

'_I take it back. He has no good points what so ever._'

X X X X X

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BY TEACHING A YOUNG BOY LIKE KONOHAMARU A PERVERTED TECHNIQUE LIKE THAT!?" Iruka screamed, two pieces of white cloth that had been torn off his bandages shoved up his nostrils to stop the blood flow that had resulted from his being used as a test subject for Konohamaru's completed _Oroike no Jutsu_. In front of him, the two boys were kneeling on the ground and snickering despite the tongue lashing they were getting.

"Come on, Iruka-sensei, it's a great technique to use on perverts." Naruto defended before mumbling just loud enough for Konohamaru to hear, "Which you seem to be." The other boy erupted into a fresh fit of giggles.

"I don't want to hear you excuses!" Iruka barked, "The point is, that it is a ridiculous technique that you have no business teaching to anyone else, _especially_ not the grandson of the Hokage!"

"I quite agree, Iruka. That boy has no business teaching the young master _any_ of his unsightly habits." The new voice caused the three on the ground to look up into the trees where Ebisu stood looking down at them.

"Crap, it's the annoying guy." Konohamaru yelled, causing a vein to bulge on Ebisu's forehead.

"You see, that boy has already started to corrupt you." Ebisu stated arrogantly as he leapt from the trees and started towards them with his hand held out. "Nothing good will come from associating yourself with a person like_ him_, Young Master. I insist you come with me before he taints you anymore than he already has."

"Now just a minute!" Iruka shouted defensively, "I may have issues with some of the things Naruto likes to do, but he's not some kind of 'Taint' like you're trying to make him out to be. He's a good, hardworking boy, and there is nothing wrong with him being around Konohamaru-san!"

Ebisu looked at Iruka coldly, "I believe you know quite well why I wouldn't want that, _person_, anywhere near the Young Master."

Iruka's eyes became dangerous. "You're walking a fine line, Ebisu."

"Oh, and what do you plan to do about it, Iruka?" Ebisu sneered.

"He won't have to do anything." Naruto growled, forming his hands into a cross shaped seal. "I'll take care of you myself. **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!"

Iruka gaped in astonishment at the sight of no less than thirty more Naruto's appearing around him with puffs of smoke. "Naruto, you know the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

"Yeah, I learned it last night." Naruto said, never taking his eyes off Ebisu.

"YOU'RE INCREDIBLE, BOSS!" Konohamaru shouted in admiration.

"Hmph, _Kage Bunshin_ eh." Ebisu arrogantly adjusted his glasses and walked into the middle of the crowd of Narutos. "I may not look it, but I am an elite teacher. You won't be able to beat me with just this."

Naruto smirked at the man, "We'll see about that. Let's see how you handle my newest super powerful technique." Every Naruto in the area put their hands into the 'Ram' seal and shouted in sync. "**HENGE**!"

Iruka's eyes widened in terror as Naruto and his clones were engulfed in smoke. '_No…he wouldn't…_' The next second his worst fears were realized when the smoke cleared to reveal that everyone of them had performed the _Oiroke no Jutsu_.

"W-W-WHAT IS THIS!?" Ebisu screamed as all the female Naruto's converged on him, calling out "Ebisu-sama" in sexy voices and draping themselves all over his body. A torrent of blood erupted from the man's nose and he was sent rocketing through the air to land in a crumpled heap thirty meters away.

"Heh, feel the power of the _Harem no Jutsu_!" Naruto shouted victoriously after changing back to normal as he looked at Ebisu lying in a twitching heap.

"Boss, Boss, I think Iruka-sensei is dead!" Konohamaru's panicked shout reached him. Spinning around, Naruto saw the boy leaning over Iruka with tears in his eyes while the man himself lay on the ground bleeding excessively from his nose and looking extremely pale.

"GAH, I FORGOT IT WORKS ON HIM TO!" Naruto screamed in panic, dashing over and grabbing underneath Iruka's shoulders. "GRAB HIS LEGS! WE HAVE TO GET HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!"

"R-roger, Boss!" Konohamaru shouted, running around and placing himself in between the mans legs facing away from Naruto before reaching down and pulling Iruka's legs into his armpits. "I'm ready, Boss."

"Let's move! 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2…" With Naruto counting rhythm, the two of them dashed off for the hospital with the unconscious man held between them, leaving Ebisu forgotten and twitching on the forest floor.

X X X X X

"All right, I'm here ya old fart!" Jagaa yelled as he walked into the Hokage's office with Anko, Kurenai, and Kakashi following in behind him. Kurenai glared at Jagaa, but he either didn't notice, or didn't care. "By the way, have you managed to leave your seat yet?"

Sarutobi felt his annoyance rising. It had proven extremely difficult to release the hold the powerful glue had on his robe without damaging the fabric, requiring a great deal of careful chakra manipulation. It had taken so long that the old man had almost lost control of his bladder before finishing. Taking a few breaths, Sarutobi managed to smother the feeling with the anticipation of the pleasure he was about to get once he told Jagaa the news.

Deciding not to give Jagaa the satisfaction of knowing how much trouble he had caused, the old man greeted them as if he hadn't heard him. "Ah, it's good to see all of you here. Asuma and I have been waiting."

The bearded Jounin turned from the old Hokage and gave them all a two finger salute in greeting. "Yo, you all sure took your time." Catching sight of Anko, Asuma looked mildly surprised. "What are you doing here, Anko? I wasn't told you were coming."

"I just came to because Jagaa-chan was coming." Anko shrugged, "Besides, I didn't have anything better to do anyway."

"It's fine if she's here." The Hokage said before clearing his throat. "Now, I have called all of you here for a reason, and I believe some of you already know what that reason is." He looked meaningfully at Kakashi who nodded in response, but the others seemed confused.

"You told me you were giving me my first assignment tonight, right? So does it have something to do with that?" Jagaa asked.

Sarutobi nodded. "Indeed it does. Jagaa-san, Kurenai-san, would both of you please step forward." The two complied with confused and slightly apprehensive glances at each other.

"Kurenai-san, Jagaa-san, what I'm about to do is unprecedented, and will most likely have the council in an uproar, but I feel it is an idea that will be well worth the trouble that may come." The old man looked between the two a small smile forming at the confusion on their face. "I have taken many factors into account before making my decision, but ultimately, I felt this would be the best answer. Therefore, I am pleased to tell you that, starting tomorrow, the two of you will take on the joint responsibility of being a Jounin-sensei for a team of new Genin."

Sarutobi watched as the two Jounin stared at him, emotions playing out freely across their face. Their confusion had slowly begun turning into understanding, which then turned into shock, only to followed up by a growing horror. Sarutobi could admit that he felt a bit guilty that he had to involve Kurenai like this in his plan to get Jagaa into a teaching position, but as he watched Jagaa's mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, the guilt gave way to a pleasurable feeling of payback for everything Jagaa had put him through to date.

Seeing that both Kurenai and Jagaa were starting to regain their senses, Sarutobi (Along with Kakashi, Asuma, and Anko.) quickly covered his ears as the two let out a yell that could have startled people walking through the streets of Kiri.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!"

**A/N:** Yeah, it was kind of short, but it was mostly a filler chapter anyway. I promise that the next chapter will be longer though and even have a little bit of action in there somewhere. So until next time, Ja ne.


	8. Meet The Teams

"Okay, everyone, listen up

**A/N:** Here ya go, the newest chapter. It's even Beta'd already this time too. Hope you all enjoy it. Oh, and to **Deathdingle**, I tried out some of those techniques you PM'd me, thanks for the advice, I think it may have helped. But you won't know for sure until you read will you. Heh heh.

**Disclaimer:** Of Course I own Naruto. Yep, he's all mine…Huh, where'd all the lawyers come from? No wait, I was just kidding! I don't really own Naruto! I don't!

**Chapter 8:** Meet The Teams

"Okay, everyone, listen up." Iruka called out to the happily chatting Genin. "It's time for the team announcements." A loud cheer range out through the classroom, a certain blonde boy's voice rising above the rest. With a smile, Iruka looked down at his sheet, "All right, first up is Team1. Your members are…"

"We're finally getting our teams." Naruto whispered excitedly to Kiba. "I can't wait. I wonder what kinds of missions Konoha Genin get to do."

"Most likely nothing very exciting to begin with." Hinata answered before Kiba, "I doubt they would let fresh academy graduates do anything potentially dangerous for some time."

"She's probably right." Kiba added, "I don't know for sure, but whenever I ask Mom or Nee-san about it, they get this weird smile and tell me I'll just have to wait and see."

"It can't be _that_ bad." Naruto argued. "I mean, we're Ninja after all. It's not like they'd make us do meaningless things like, oh, I don't know, pulling weeds picking up trash or something."

"That's true, that would be completely pointless." Hinata agreed.

"Ah, whatever, we'll find out once we start doing missions." Kiba said with a shrug. On his head, Akamaru yawned before curling back up and going back to sleep.

"Team7 will be…" Iruka's voice caught the threes attention, "Uchiha Sasuke…"

'_Please don't put me on the same team with him_.' Naruto begged the heavens.

"Haruno Sakura…"

"I'm with Sasuke-kun! Take that Ino pig!" Sakura yelled in triumph.

"And…Yamanaka Ino."

The insult Ino was about to throw at Sakura died on her lips when she realized what had just been said. "Yatta! I'm on Sasuke-kun's team too! In your face Forehead Girl!"

A thumping noise started reverberating around the room, the source being one Uchiha Sasuke who had started beating his head heavily against the desk in a steady rhythm.

"I _almost_ feel sorry for the Teme." Naruto muttered to Kiba and Hinata, who both laughed in response.

Iruka cleared his throat noisily to get the classes attention again before continuing. "Team8 will consist of…Uzumaki Naruto…"

Naruto's head rose expectantly.

"Inuzuka Kiba…"

"Dude, we're on the same team!" Kiba yelled happily giving his blonde friend a high five.

"and the final member is…Hyuuga Hinata."

"We even got Hinata-chan!" Naruto cheered, accompanied by a "Hell yeah!" from Kiba.

"I can't say I'm disappointed with the arrangement." Hinata said with a small smile as Naruto and Kiba each threw an arm over her shoulders and gave each other another high five.

"Hmph, it looks like they threw all the losers on the same team after all." Ino said haughtily.

"You're right, Yamanaka, but we were trying to spare your feelings by not pointing that out to you." Hinata smirked back as Naruto and Kiba howled with laughter.

"AND FINALLY," Iruka shouted to get some order back, "Team10 will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino."

"Well at least it doesn't sound like I have any troublesome people on my team." Shikamaru said with a yawn. Chouji just smiled as he continued eating his chips and Shino made no movement whatsoever.

"Now that you know your teams, you will just have to wait for your Jounin Sensei to arrive." Iruka said to the class, "You should use this time to talk to the other members of your team and get to know each other." When Iruka finished, most of the class got up and started exchanging seats to group together with their teams even as Ino and Sakura got into yet another fight over Sasuke while the Uchiha himself looked like he was seriously considering committing suicide.

Turning to his two friends, Naruto grinned at them. "So…I really like ramen." Hinata and Kiba just shook their heads as they laughed.

X X X X X

"WHERE THE HELL ARE THESE BASTARDS!" Naruto shouted in frustration after two and a half hours of waiting.

"Quiet down, Naruto, I'm trying to sleep." Shikamaru said with a yawn.

"But it's been _two and half hours_!" Naruto yelled, "What the hell is taking them so long?"

"Well your whining isn't helping anything, you Blockhead." Ino practically snarled at him.

Needless to say, tempers were starting to run high for the members of teams, 7, 8, and 10 as they sat in the classroom waiting on their extremely late new teachers. However, none of them were feeling quite as irritated as Naruto who had very little skills in the 'Patience' department.

"THAT'S IT!" Naruto finally declared. Reaching into his Kunai pouch he pulled out a scroll and started unrolling it. "These guys are gonna pay for making us wait so long!"

Kiba got up from his seat and walked over to Naruto. "What are you going to do with that?" He asked as he curiously examined the scroll.

Naruto's smirk was pure evil as he looked Kiba in the eye. "You'll see."

X X X X X

"So, could someone tell me again _why_ we had to wait on the book nerd?" Jagaa asked irritably as he walked through the Academy halls along with Kurenai, Kakashi, and Asuma.

"Because the Hokage recommended it." Asuma said calmly as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"Asuma!" Kurenai snapped, "I thought I told you to put that out before you came in. This is an academy, not a bar."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're _really_ bossy, Princess?" Jagaa asked seriously, causing Asuma to snort in amusement.

"Now, now," Kakashi said in a pacifying voice, "Let's not have any arguments just before we meet our teams."

"If anyone is to blame for any arguments right now, it would be _you_, Cyclops." Jagaa stated, "Seeing as we had to wait on you for _three fucking hours_."

"Sorry, but I had gotten lost on the road of life." Kakashi smiled.

"I hate you."

"You know, you could have always left before me." Kakashi added in his own defense.

"I would have…_gladly_. Unfortunately, the ball and chain," Jagaa pointed at Kurenai, "Said she was going to wait for you like the Hokage said to, and since she and I are stuck on the same team together, there was no point leaving without her.

"Excuse me," Kurenai cut in icily, "But I am _not_ your wife, so I would appreciate it if you didn't use a term associated with one about me."

"You're right, you're not my wife." Jagaa agreed with a nod, "You're worse, because now I have to deal with all your bitching, and I don't even get any sex out of it."

Kakashi snorted lightly and Asuma started backing away from Jagaa, who simply smirked at a murderous Kurenai.

"She's going to kill you one of these days." Kakashi muttered.

"Eh, she'll calm down if she ever gets laid." Jagaa shrugged. A spike of killing intent came from in front of them and Kakashi started to sweat.

"Uh, I think I'll walk a little closer to her." Kakashi said nervously. "That way I won't be near_ you_ when she decides to attack."

"Chicken." Jagaa mocked as the silver haired man moved up closer to Kurenai.

Asuma chuckled lightly as he walked just behind everyone else. This was almost better than television in his opinion, and somehow he knew that if Anko were here, it _would_ be better than television. As that thought was playing through his mind, Asuma noticed that Jagaa had slowed down significantly and was letting both Kakashi and Kurenai pull a good deal ahead of him. Asuma shrugged, thinking Jagaa was just getting some space to dodge if Kurenai attacked, but as he started to pass the younger man, he was stopped by a scarred arm blocking his path. "What's up?" He questioned.

"Stay back a bit until they open the door." Jagaa muttered.

Asuma raised his eyebrows curiously. "Why?"

"You'll see." Jagaa answered with an evil smirk that only served to heighten the bearded man's curiosity.

He didn't have to wait long though, because at that moment, Kurenai had just reached the door about ten meters ahead of them with Kakashi standing directly behind her, reading his book. "Why are you two walking so slow?" She asked, looking over at Jagaa and Asuma as she opened the door. "Hurry up so we- KYAA!"

It was with a sort of shocked fascination that Asuma watched Kurenai was struck by the surprise attack. One struck her in the abdomen, another in the chest, and finally a third in the side of the head. A fourth landed a glancing blow to her left shoulder and was sent spinning into the air to come down directly on top of Kakashi's head with a squelching plop.

As Asuma stared in wonder at the scene before him, he could only manage to say a single word for his shock.

"Pies?"

As if waiting for his word as a signal, an eruption of laughter came from the room that the four Jounin were about to enter.

"Rule number one about dealing with Naruto," Jagaa said from beside him, his voice calm but laced with amusement, "_never_ give him enough time to get bored." Leaving Asuma in his stupefied state, Jagaa walked over to the shell shocked Kurenai and impudently drew his finger across her cheek to pick up some of the pie filling dripping down her face before taking his finger back to his mouth and sampling the flavor. "Hmm, that's pretty good."

Kurenai managed to turn her head enough to look at the man with wide, incredulous eyes.

Behind them, Kakashi had removed the pie from his head and was looking over his precious book for any signs of it having been hit by splashing pie filling and sighing with relief when he saw there was none, not concerned in the least that his hair had been matted down by the creamy filling.

What could he say? A man has to have his priorities after all.

"Nii-san, is that you? What are you doing here?" Naruto called from in side the class room.

"Just enjoying the view." Jagaa grinned, scraping a bit more pie off Kurenai's cheek before heading into the class room. "By the way, I thought I told you to stop wasting the Banana Cream Pies. I like those."

"Sorry, Nii-san, but it's all I had left." Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"Eh, whatever," Jagaa said, smirking over his shoulder at the still shocked Kurenai, "I think it may have tasted even better that way." Making a mental note that included both Anko and more pies, Jagaa turned back to Naruto and pointed to the object behind him. "I see you made some modifications."

Naruto's grin widened to unbelievable proportions as he jumped swept his arm back to indicate the strange, catapult like machine that had been previously stored in a scroll. "That's right, meet the 'Pieanator Mark4'." He said grandly as he pointed out the four barrel like protrusions mounted at an angle on a flat plank. "Unlike the Mark3 that had square launch tubes and could only launch a pie about ten meters, the Mark4 has _circular_ launch tubes made to be the exact size of a standard pie and lined with vegetable oil for a smooth exit, and by putting the tubes at an angle, the pie isn't sent into the ground like it was with the Mark2. Also, the insides of the tubes have been grooved to put the pie into a spiral, increasing the overall flight time. On the last test, I managed to pie a target almost _thirty_ meters away." Naruto finished by puffing out his chest proudly.

"Hmm, impressive." Jagaa said with a nod of his head, making Naruto practically glow with joy from the praise.

The other Genin in the room could only stare at the pair before them. None of them had thought Naruto's pie throwing machine would actually _work_. What was even more incredible was the fact he actually seemed to have put some serious thought into the thing.

"Naruto," Hinata finally said, breaking the stunned silence, "Did it ever occur to you that if you had put even _half_ the amount of effort into _studying_ as it seems you put into that device, you probably would have been the rookie of the year."

Sasuke growled lowly at that.

"But studying is boooorrrreiiinnnng." Naruto whined, causing the rest of the Genin to sweatdrop.

"She does have a point though." Jagaa said reflectively.

"Nii-san, not you too!" Naruto wailed in despair.

Jagaa was about to say something else, when a feeling of impending death washed over everyone in the room. Slowly, they all turned to the doorway and saw Kurenai taking slow, deliberate steps into the room, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"…Who…was…it?" Her voice came out as barely a whisper, and yet still managed to terrify everyone in the room.

Kurenai's steady steps continued, taking her directly towards Naruto who stood frozen in terror. "Was it you?"

"N-N-N-Nii-s-s-san," Naruto stammered, "H-h-help me."

"Sorry, Naruto, but you're on your own this time." Unable to turn his head, Naruto shifted his eyes over to see Jagaa hiding behind Sakura as if he was intending to use her as a human shield.

A shadow loomed over Naruto and his eyes shifted up to the shadowed face above him, and he had a sudden desire to wet himself.

"You, hit, me, with, **Pies**!" Kurenai's voice became demonic, and her eyes burned like the fires of hell.

The woman's fist drew back, and Naruto screamed like a little girl.

X X X X X

"Is he still alive?" Kiba asked uncertainly as he poked at the charred and smoking remains of the figure that was once Naruto with a meter stick he had found near Iruka's desk.

"Probably, Naruto is fairly resilient." Jagaa replied in a calm tone.

"You don't seem very concerned." Asuma said with a frown, his cigarette having been put out due to his fear of angering Kurenai any further.

Jagaa just shrugged. "Like I said, he's fairly resilient."

"So, should we wait for Kurenai to get back before we collect our teams, or should we just go ahead and take them?" Kakashi asked, his book having also been put away for the same reasons Asuma wasn't smoking.

"We should probably wait." Asuma answered, "We've waited this long anyway. What are a few more minutes while she cleans up?"

"Again, the waiting time being Kakashi's fault." Jagaa added. Kakashi just smiled.

The sound of the door opening drew their attention and Kurenai walked into the room, her hair damp from having just been rinsed out. It also appeared she had somehow either cleaned her clothes or acquired new ones. "Sorry I took so long." She said, running her fingers through her hair.

"At least it wasn't as long as Book Nerd would have taken." Jagaa said, following by tilting his head and smirking mischievously at the woman. "By the way, could you run your fingers through your hair again? That was kind of sexy."

Kurenai's eyes narrowed, and both Kakashi and Asuma took a few steps away from the scarred man who continued to smirk. "Would you care to repeat that?" She asked icily.

"Just a second." Jagaa responded and, much to the confusion of the others, walked over to Ino, picked her up under the armpits, moved back to where he had been standing, and finally put her back down facing Kurenai as he crouched behind her. "Preparations complete."

"What are you doing?" Kurenai asked, unable to restrain her curiosity.

"Well, after I repeat what I said, I'm going to push this girl in front of you to distract and slow you down, thereby allowing me to jump through the window and run for my life." Jagaa stated matter-of-factly, followed by Ino shouting and indignant "Hey!"

A large sweatdrop formed on everyone watching as Kurenai clenched her teeth. "Or, you could just not say it." She grated.

Jagaa tilted his head in confusion, still hiding behind Ino. "What would be the fun in that?"

Kurenai just knew she would have to see the dentist soon.

"Uh, maybe to forestall any ensuing bloodshed, we should all gather our teams now." Kakashi said in a slightly nervous tone as his visible eye stayed locked on Kurenai.

"There's just one problem with that." Asuma said, looking down at Naruto's still smoking figure. "One of the team's members is, uh, incapacitated."

Despite her anger at Jagaa, Kurenai had the good grace to blush lightly.

"Oh, that's no problem. Just give me a sec." Jagaa said and started digging through his Kunai pouch. "Ah, here it is." He declared as pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. Putting some chakra into it, the scroll made a puff of smoke before clearing away to show Jagaa now holding a steaming bowl of ramen and a pair of chopsticks that he put down in about three meters front of the blackened body.

The effect was instantaneous.

Naruto shot forward from the floor, leaving a trail of ashes behind him, and grabbed the steaming bowl before he immediately began shoveling noodles down his mouth. It took all of fifteen seconds for the bowl to be emptied and for Naruto to lean back with a contented sigh. Getting the feeling he was being watched, Naruto looked around to see everyone but Jagaa looking at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You see." Jagaa said to the group, "He's very resilient."

"He's a freak." Sakura said in disgust. "How can someone like ramen that much?"

"I don't think _you_ have any right to call someone a freak, Bubblegum Head." Kiba retorted.

"Enough!" Kurenai yelled to stop the argument before it could get out of hand and turned to the other three Jounin, "Let's just get our teams and go before things get any worse."

"Uh, I have a question." Shikamaru called out. "You keep saying you are here to all get your teams, but there are only three teams here and there are four Jounin. Does that mean there is supposed to be another team, or did one Jounin just tag along with the Jounin-sensei?"

"Hey, that's right!" Naruto yelled and turned to Jagaa. "What are you doing here, Nii-san?"

Jagaa grimaced at the boy's question. "Wishing I _wasn't_ here."

Naruto stared at the man in disbelief. "Wait, does that mean _you're_ a Jounin-sensei!?"

"Please don't remind me. I'm still hoping I'll wake up to find it's all just some horrible dream." Jagaa pleaded.

"I can agree with those sympathies." Kurenai said without looking at them.

"And _that_," Jagaa pointed at Kurenai, "Is the biggest reason I hope it's just a nightmare."

"Would _somebody_ explain what's going on?" Ino yelled.

"Well to put it simply," Kakashi said with a smile, "One of the teams here is going to have _two_ Jounin-sensei."

"Seriously!" Naruto yelled. "Which team is it and who are the two?"

"Well, I'll solve some of the confusion now." Asuma said, clearing his throat. "Everyone from Team10, please stand up and come with me." Chouji, Shikamaru, and Shino all wordlessly stood up and went down to stand by Asuma.

"Ne, Ne, Nii-san! Am I on your team?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"I don't really know." Jagaa answered and turned to Kurenai, "What was our team number again.

"I have Team8." Kakashi said before Kurenai could respond.

"WHAT? That's my team!" Naruto shouted. "Damnit! I wanted to be on Nii-san's team."

"Really?" Jagaa asked with a smirk. "I thought you'd like a break from _me_ training you. We might be able to arrange a switch if you _really_ want it though."

The other Jounin watched Naruto's reaction, expecting the boy to try to convince Jagaa to get the switch. What they didn't expect, was for Naruto to start trembling violently before grabbing Hinata and Kiba by the arms and dragging them down to Kakashi, whom he proceeded to push to the exit with his head. "ByeNii-sanI'llseeyouathome!"

Kakashi looked over his shoulder at the boy in surprise as he was continuously headbutted for the door and then up at Jagaa who was still smirking. '_Just what kind of training does he put him through?_' Kakashi questioned as he was pushed around the corner.

"Hmm, guess he wanted someone else teaching him after all." Jagaa said with a laugh and turned to Kurenai. "Does that mean the three that are still sitting down are the annoyances we have to deal with?"

"Yes, those three will be," Kurenai grit her teeth, almost feeling physical pain over what she was about to say, "_Our_ students."

Jagaa turned from Kurenai and did a once over of the three Genin still behind their desks. The two girl's eyes were widened in slight apprehension as they looked at him, but the boy's eyes had narrowed on him in an almost defiant manner. Jagaa just sighed after he finished examining the three of them. '_I just know this is going to suck._'

X X X X X

"So, why don't you all tell me about yourselves?" Kakashi said in a friendly manner. "You know, such as your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, your future dreams, that sort of thing."

"In this situation, Sensei, wouldn't it be appropriate for you to tell us about yourself first?" Hinata asked calmly.

"Ah, that's true isn't it?" The silver haired man said thoughtfully, "Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes…, dislikes…hmm, well, I have a few hobbies." He looked up at them and smiled. "So who's next?"

'_What the hell kind of introduction was that?_' The three Genin thought simultaneously.

"How about you go next?" Kakashi, pointed to Kiba.

"Me? Ah whatever. My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this little guy," He pointed to the pup on his head, "Is Akamaru." Akamaru barked a greeting of his own, "I like my clan, playing with Akumaru, my sister, and usually hanging out with Naruto…but sometimes I'd rather kill him." He glared slightly at the blonde who smiled innocently back. "Hmm, my dislikes…I can't really think of any right now, and my hobbies are…"

"Fantasizing about his sister and collecting dirty magazines." Naruto whispered just loud enough to be heard.

"…Fantasizing about my sister and…YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" Kiba snarled and leapt for Naruto who nimbly rolled out of the way and dove behind Hinata. "Hinata-chan, save me!" He cried out in a girlish voice.

"Now, now, let's not get rowdy." Kakashi said as he raised his hands in a placating gesture and waiting until Kiba sat back down. "How about you continue then, Naruto?"

Moving from behind Hinata but still keeping an eye on the fuming Inuzuka, Naruto took his spot back between the two and gave his introduction. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like Ramen, hanging out with my friends, sometimes annoying those same friends," He smirked at Kiba again who growled in response, "and my Nii-san. I don't like Sasuke-teme, crazy Fangirls, or some of Nii-san's training methods. My hobby is eating all the ramen I can…"

'_Can that really be considered a hobby?_' The other three thought with a sweatdrop.

Naruto kept speaking, unaware of their collective thoughts, "And my dream is to become the Hokage and earn the respect of everyone in Konoha."

"Hmm, that's quite a goal you have." Kakashi smiled before pointing at Hinata "Okay, last up is the flower of our little team."

Hinata sent the man an icy glare that made him chuckle nervously. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata, I enjoy reading and dislike it when I'm interrupted while doing so."

"I can vouch for that." Naruto said, rubbing his neck.

"Other than reading, I really have no hobbies." Hinata continued as if she hadn't heard him, "Seeing as I am to be the head of the Hyuuga clan one day, I can't say I've ever had need to have any dreams for the future. The only thing I could really call a dream would be to someday…" Hinata trailed off, and Kakashi thought he saw her eyes shift in the direction of the two boys for a moment before she spoke again. "Nothing, never mind."

"Hey, you can't do that, Hinata-chan!" Naruto protested, "What were you going to say?"

"I said it was nothing, Naruto." Hinata turned her head away from the blonde, but he refused to give up and started shaking her shoulders. "Come on, Hinata-chan, tell me what you were going to say! Please, please, please, please, please, plea-oof." Naruto fell to the ground clutching his stomach after Hinata elbowed him in the solar plexus.

"You'd think he would have learned by now." Kiba said with a shake of his head before adding with a smirk, "Can't say I didn't enjoy it though."

"Screw you, Dog Breath." Naruto wheezed out.

Kakashi watched the three with barely hidden amusement in his visible eye. '_I think I'm going to enjoy having this team._' He thought before speaking out loud, "Well, now the introductions are over, let's meet tomorrow at 5 a.m. on training ground 13."

"THAT EARLY!" Naruto screamed.

"Yep." Kakashi said happily, "Oh, and don't eat breakfast okay. You'll just end up throwing at all back up anyway. Ja ne." Kakashi smiled at them before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata all looked at each other uncertainly. "Should we be worried?" Naruto asked, to which the other two just shrugged.

X X X X X

"Well first off, I suppose you're all wondering why you will be having _two_ Jounin leading your team." Kurenai said to the three Genin sitting in front of her. "Well, the reason for that is…"

"Because that half dead old bastard hates me!" Jagaa cut her off.

"At least try to show some respect for the Hokage in front of the Genin!" Kurenai snapped.

"That could be detrimental to my health therefore I refuse to take the chance." Jagaa replied with a smirk.

Kurenai covered her eyes with her hand and let out an irritated sigh. What in the world had the Hokage been thinking?

/Flashback/

"_What is the meaning of this, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai yelled as she slapped her hands on the old man's desk. "How can you make him a Jounin-sensei when he wasn't even a citizen of Konoha until less than _twelve hours ago_?"_

"_Yeah, what the hell are you trying to pull, you foot in the grave bastard?" Jagaa added, "Trying to make me deal with a group of annoying brats is bad enough, but making me have to deal with those annoying brats and _her_," He jerked his thumb at Kurenai, "is cruel and unusual punishment."_

"_And being partnered with someone who has the all manners of a stray dog is just the _highlight _of my career as a Kunoichi." Kurenai said sarcastically._

"_Why don't you just go paint you nails or something, Princess?" Jagaa growled at her._

_Behind the two angry Jounin, Anko had pulled out a bag of popcorn from a sealing scroll and was sharing it with Kakashi and Asuma. "I knew it would be a good idea to bring this." She said to them, receiving two agreeing nods._

"_SILENCE BOTH OF YOU!" Sarutobi's shouted, his voice carrying an authority that made even made Jagaa go quiet. "The fact is that this was_ my_ decision, and no amount of complaining on _either_ of your parts is going to change it. Is that understood?" He turned his hard eyes to each of them in turn, practically daring them to try to argue any further._

"…_Yes, Hokage-sama." Kurenai answered in a subdued tone._

"_Tch, senile old bastard." Jagaa muttered, turning his head away._

_Deciding that it was the closest thing he was going to get to an agreement from Jagaa, Sarutobi nodded his acceptance. "Thank you, and just so you know. I actually chose you two for practical purposes." Kurenai and Jagaa became more attentive as the old man continued. "Kurenai-san, you have never had any students before but have lived in Konoha your entire life. Jagaa-san, you have teaching experience due to training Naruto, but have been in Konoha for less than a year. By putting you both as teachers on the same team, I'm more or less filling in the blanks that each of you posses. Do you understand?"_

_Kurenai nodded, understanding showing on her face, but Jagaa frowned at the old man. "And that's the bullshit reason you're planning to use to get the council to agree to this?" He asked._

_The Sandaime smiled at him. "Yes, it is._

"_What do you plan to do if they still don't like it?" Jagaa questioned with a quirked eyebrow._

"_Maybe I'll take a page out of _your_ book, and do it anyways." The old man said, his smile becoming something close to a smirk._

_Jagaa raised his eyebrows at the old man. "I think I may have just gained a little respect for you." He said in surprised voice. "Not much, but a little."_

_Sarutobi laughed lightly. "Well a little is better than none." He eyed the pair once more with an encouraging smile, "I look forward to seeing how the two of you work together in the future."_

"_My money is on, like cats and dogs." Asuma said with a puff of smoke. "How about you, Kakashi?"_

"_I was thinking oil and water, but cats and dogs works too." Kakashi smiled._

"_The Tiger and the Dragon. Bitter enemies locked in combat for all time." Jagaa piped up and turned to Kurenai, "By the way, you're the Tiger."_

"_Why?" Kurenai asked suspiciously._

_Jagaa grinned. "Isn't obvious? Because the one who should be the cat, is the one who has the pus-yikes!" Jagaa ducked under the swipe Kurenai made for his head with a kunai and bolted for the door while laughing maniacally with the angry woman hot on his heels as Anko, Asuma, and Kakashi started placing bets on if he would survive or not._

_Sarutobi just sighed._

X X X X X

Kurenai rubbed her temples to calm her self down. No matter what her personal feelings on the matter, the Hokage had ordered that she team up with Jagaa, so that meant she would do it.

Even if she was sure she would end up killing him herself.

"Anyway," She said with a slight glare at Jagaa, "The Hokage is the one who made this arrangement, so Team7 will have two Jounin-sensei." Kurenai turned away from Jagaa and back to the three Genin, missing the quiet raspberry Jagaa blew at her. "That may change in the future, but for now this is how our team has been arranged. Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves? Let's start with you." Kurenai pointed at Ino.

"Huh, oh, okay." Ino sat up and straightened out a bit. "Uh, well, my name is Yamanaka Ino. I like flower arranging, my parents, and Sasuke-kun." She looked over at Sasuke with a smile but he simply turned away with a grunt, "I don't like certain pink haired girls with overly large foreheads," Sakura glared at her, "and my plans for the future are to become a great Kunoichi before retiring to take over my families flower shop. Of course, I'll also marry Sasuke-kun somewhere in there." Her grin split her face and Sakura looked ready to throttle the blonde girl.

Kurenai examined Ino with a slight frown. '_Hmm, I didn't think she was the Fangirl type, or that she was in a rivalry with the other girl. This could complicate things.'_ Beside her, Jagaa had made his thoughts on the matter known with an audible groan.

"Okay, then, how about you go next." Kurenai indicated to Sakura.

"My name is Haruno Sakura." The girl said instantly. "My likes…" She looked over at Sasuke and squealed, "My dreams for the future…" another look and another squeal before she stopped talking completely.

Jagaa started beating his head against a nearby pillar, and Kurenai was barely able to restrain herself from joining him. '_Dear Kami, she's even worse than the other one! Why do I have to deal with _two_ fangirls? I _hate_ fangirls._' She thought in despair before speaking out loud, controlling her emotions to keep her voice calm. "I see. Is there anything you don't like"?

"Ino-pig!" Sakura declared hotly.

Jagaa stopped in his head banging and turned to Sakura, "I don't think _you_ have the right to call _anyone_ pig, little Miss Squealer." he deadpan the girl. Ino openly laughed at Sakura's indignant expression, and even Sasuke was sporting a small smirk if you looked close enough.

"Jagaa, behave yourself." Kurenai chided, though her tone lacked some of the bite it would have usually carried. What could she say? She _really_ didn't like fangirls. They were a stigma on all woman kind.

"Yes, Princess." Jagaa replied with a smirk before adding, "I guess the only one left is the brooder." He pointed at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at Jagaa coolly as he spoke. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are not many things I like, and a lot that I don't like. As for my plans for the future," He paused for a moment, "I wouldn't call it a dream, more like an ambition, but I wish to kill a certain man."

Jagaa's head perked up with interest. "Oh? Who is it that you want to kill? Maybe I know him."

"That's not something that needs to be discussed right now." Kurenai cut in.

"Spoilsport." Jagaa muttered.

Kurenai ignored him and started her own introduction. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. I specialize in Genjutsu and enjoy spending time creating new ones. I also enjoy reading, and spending quiet nights at home." She gave Jagaa a scathing look, "I dislike those who have no respect for others and I detest perverts."

"Which means she's probably planning to murder me, seeing as I've been told I have both those problems." Jagaa grinned.

Sakura and Ino sweatdropped and Sasuke got a light twitch in his eye.

Kurenai shook her head and looked back to the Genin. "I'm afraid I won't be telling you my dreams for the future, but know that as your Jounin sensei, I will do my best to help you achieve your own dreams." Kurenai felt nauseous after she finished, realizing that she had more or less just promised to help to fangirls with their stalking and to help an Emo in his goals to kill someone.

Jagaa cocked his head at the strangely sick expression that had come over the Jounin woman's face, but just shrugged it off and started his own introduction.

"I guess that means I have to introduce myself too eh? Well, my name is Jagaa. Hmm, I like drinking, fighting, pissing people off, and my…I guess 'adopted' would be the best term…little brother, Naruto. I don't like Fangirls," Ino and Sakura flinched, "broody little Emos," Sasuke glared at the man, "or stuck up Princesses." Kurenai ground her teeth and Jagaa grinned at her before moving on. "As for my dreams for the future," Jagaa paused and shrugged, "I never look that far ahead, and I've never had a reason to."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Kurenai stated coolly. "Also, do you think you could have left out the drinking and annoying people in your list of likes? You could at least _try_ to set a good example."

"Hey cut me some slack. I never said anything about sex, did I?" Jagaa argued and Kurenai smacked herself in the forehead.

"Forget it. I don't care anymore." She said plaintively and turned back to the three Genin, "Well, that's it for today. We will meet again tomorrow at 9a.m. on training grounds 10. Until then you are free to go."

"YES, FREEDOM!" Jagaa yelled, jumping over the railing and dashing madly away over the rooftops.

"NOT YOU!" Kurenai yelled, chasing after the fleeing man. "JAGAA, GET BACK HERE! WE STILL HAVE TO DISCUSS THE PLANS FOR TOMORROW! JAGAA!"

Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke watched the their two Jounin-sensei disappear into the distance, each of them trying to wrap their mind around what to make of the pair. Finally Ino turned to the other two with apprehension showing on her face. "I'm kind of worried about our future."

Sakura silently nodded in agreement and Sasuke just grunted.

X X X X X

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Jagaa yelled as he held Naruto in the air by the front of his shirt and shook him violently. "Not only have I been tied down to one village, I have to play babysitter to _two freaking fangirls_, a fucking _brooding Emo boy_, and work with stuck up little _Princess_! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"I'm…sor…ry…Nii…san!" Naruto managed to get out amidst the violent shakes.

"Do you think we should try to do something?" Kiba asked Hinata. The two of them had gone home with Naruto to discuss what Kakashi might have planned for them the next day, but as soon as Jagaa had gotten home, Naruto had been a bit…preoccupied.

"It's best just to let it play out." Hinata answered, taking a sip of tea she had made courtesy of Naruto and Jagaa's cupboard. "I _think_ Jagaa won't kill him."

"I hope you're right." Kiba said as he looked back at Naruto, wondering if the other boy's head was going to stay attached with how hard Jagaa was shaking him.

"Gah, I need some Sake!" Jagaa shouted, dropping Naruto onto the floor before stomping into the kitchen. Kiba and Hinata took the opportunity to move over next to Naruto, who was lying on the floor with swirls in his eyes.

"You okay man?" Kiba asked.

Naruto flopped his head over to look at the Inuzuka, a strange grin coming to his face. "Oh wow, there are six Kibas. Hi, six Kibas. Are you all friends with the six Hinata-chans? And why is the world spinning? Spinney world, spinney world. Tehehehehe"

"He's fine." Hinata remarked dryly.

Jagaa came back into the living room, drinking a bottle of Sake as he walked. "Ah, I needed that." He said, flopping down on the couch after downing half the bottle in one go. "By the way, what's he so happy about?"

"I think you might have broken him." Kiba said unsurely, looking back down at his friend who was in the process of trying to grab something out of the air while still giggling.

"Ah, he'll be all right." Jagaa waved dismissively, taking another drink of sake.

"If you say so." Kiba shrugged turning back to Jagaa. "So, going off of your greeting to Naruto, I'd say you're not all that happy with your new team, huh."

"What gave you that idea?" Jagaa asked, feigning surprise. "Why I _love_ the fact I get to listen to a couple of prissy little fangirls squeal over their crush, and I'm _ecstatic_ to listen to the unintelligible grunts and brooding silence of the little Emo boy. Oh, and how could I forget to mention how _happy _I am to be working with a stuck up _Princess_ who has about a much of a sense of humor as a rock. Seriously, Kiba, I'm shocked you would suggest that I would have anything less than complete _joy_ at my new position as a Jounin-sensei." He finished by tipping back his head and downing the rest of his sake.

"Yes, not upset in the least." Hinata said, matching Jagaa's sarcasm.

Jagaa finished his bottle and looked back at her with a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm a bit, make that _quite_ a bit, upset with the whole arrangement, but I'll figure out a way to cope with it. I'm pretty good at that." Jagaa's smile widened. "Hell, who knows? Maybe if the Fangirls grow up a bit, the Emo pulls the stick out of his ass, and Kurenai loosens up a bit, it won't be so bad."

"Yeah, I bet you'd _love_ it if Kurenai-sensei, _loosened up_!" Kiba snickered.

Jagaa quirked his eyebrow at the Inuzuka boy, "Hmm, I wonder what Tsume would think if I told her you were making sexual innuendos, even if it wasn't a very good one?" he said thoughtfully.

Kiba's eyes widened in fear. "You won't tell her right? Please don't tell her!"

Jagaa smirked mischievously, "I'll think about it, but for now…I need more sake." Getting up from the couch the man headed for the kitchen again, leaving a worried looking Kiba behind.

"Oh, my head." Naruto's groaning voice came from the floor.

"It seems you've come back to your senses." Hinata said calmly. "I don't suppose you had any inspiration as to what Kakashi-sensei might be planning tomorrow while you were enjoying your spinning world?"

"Uh, he he, no, not really." Naruto said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"He said it was survival training," Kiba recalled, "and that we shouldn't eat breakfast or we'd throw up. So whatever it is must be hard."

"It's going to be a test to see how well you work as a team." Jagaa's voice drew their attention as the man walked back in with a fresh bottle of sake. "All the Jounin-sensei are supposed to give one."

"A teamwork test?" Hinata clarified, to which Jagaa nodded.

"Why didn't he just say so then?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"That would be, because the test will be designed to pit you against each other and see if you can grasp the concept of teamwork despite that." Jagaa grinned.

"Wait! What do you mean, pit us against each other?" Kiba asked aggressively.

"Exactly as it sounds." Jagaa said easily, "From what I've heard, the most popular method is called the Bell Test. The Jounin has two bells and tells the Genin that they have to get a bell if they don't want to be sent back to the academy. Can you see the trick behind it?"

"The set up suggests that no matter what, at least one person will be sent back to the academy." Hinata said in understanding. "So the Genin will work against each other instead of with each other in order to acquire a bell and not be sent back."

"Exactly," Jagaa nodded, "The best part is, that if they _don't_ end up working together, they _all_ get sent back. Kind of fucked up if you ask me."

"No kidding." Kiba growled, "It's completely rigged."

"What I would like to know, Jagaa-san, is why you are telling us all this." Hinata asked.

"Simple," Jagaa said with a vicious smirk, "If I'm not allowed to fail _my_ team to get out of this. Then there's no way in hell I'm letting Kakashi fail_ his_ team to get out of it, especially when my Otouto and his friends happen to be on that team."

"Naruto, have I ever told you how happy I am were friends and awesome your brother is?" Kiba laughed, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"I can't say I disagree with that statement." Hinata said with a small smile.

"He he," Naruto laughed embarrassedly, rubbing his finger under his nose. "Thanks guys."

"Oh, by the way," Jagaa spoke up, "Did I here you say that Kakashi told you all not to eat?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered, "He also told us to be at Training Ground13 at _five in the freaking morning!"_

"I see," The dirty blonde said thoughtfully before smirking at them, "Well, from what I've learned about the Cyclops, he's at least three hours late to _everything_. So I think you'll be good if you don't show up until around eight or so. I don't know what he's planning with the whole 'Don't eat' thing, but if you wake up early enough to have breakfast, you'll probably be out of danger of puking by the time anything starts."

The three Genin all looked at Jagaa with a sort of, admiration, and the older man started feeling a bit uncomfortable. "What?"

"Can you be my brother instead?" Kiba asked suddenly. "All you'd have to do is marry Hana!"

"KIBA!" Naruto shouted indignantly.

"I believe that the Hyuuga clan would be willing to accept you as well." Hinata added. "And since you don't have our bloodline, they wouldn't try to put a seal on you. Are you interested?"

"Would both of you stop trying to steal my brother!" Naruto shouted.

"It's so nice to be wanted." Jagaa mumbled to himself.

X X X X X

Something wasn't right.

That was the only thing Kakashi could think as he looked at the three Genin before him. They didn't seem tired enough for being at the training field since 5a.m., they didn't seem angry enough that he had been his customary three hours late, and he hadn't heard a single one of their stomachs growl even a little since he arrived.

"Is something wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked mildly. "You seem to be bothered by something."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed on the three of them suspiciously. "What time did the three of you show up?" He asked bluntly.

"5 a.m. of course," Hinata replied, "Isn't that the time you said to be here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto and Kiba had doubled over and were holding their sides, their faces twisted strangely and their bodies shaking.

"What's wrong with those two?" Kakashi asked, turning his narrowed eye on the two boys.

"I don't know, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata answered, turning to the boys as well. Kakashi couldn't see, but she had started glaring at them warningly.

"My stomach hurts from not eating this morning." Naruto gasped out, his face twisting into a pained grimace.

"Yeah, same here." Kiba corresponded. If Kakashi could understand Akamaru, he would have heard the little dog calling Kiba a liar.

Skepticism was practically oozing out of Kakashi's visible eye, but seeing as he had no proof, he couldn't voice his lack of belief for their answer. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Now that we're all here though, I think we should start the test now."

"Test? What test?" Kiba asked, his face the picture of a questioning expression.

Kakashi held up two bells, feeling a bit grateful that all three of them looked confused since he had been starting to think his test may have been compromised somehow.

Somewhere else in Konoha, Jagaa sneezed.

"These," Kakashi said, giving the bells a small shake, "are the test. Your objective is to get one of these bells from me in order to pass." Kakashi smiled and pointed to three nearby training logs, "Anyone who doesn't get a bell by noon will be tied to one of those logs and made to watch while I eat lunch in front of them."

"Hold on! _That's_ why you didn't want us to eat breakfast!" Naruto shouted, his anger on the subject only being _partially_ faked.

"Yep." Kakashi smiled. "Also, anyone who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy."

"Then why are there only two bells?" Kiba asked. "Doesn't that mean someone is gonna fail no matter what?"

"That's exactly right." Kakashi smiled, closing his eye. He was pleased about the three Genins' reactions. It seemed his worries about someone revealing the test were unfounded after all.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, closing his eye made him miss the confident smirk that had passed between his three students.

"Well then, shall we start the test?" Kakashi asked, taking out a small alarm clock and putting it down on a stump. "I'll also tell you this, if you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you'll never have a chance at getting the bells." He saw their eyes harden and he smiled again. "Okay then, there is still four hours until noon, so you have four hours to get a bell. The test will start, now."

The three Genin jumped away and Kakashi naturally assumed they were all moving to hiding places to plan their separate attacks. So he was rather surprised when he saw each of them stop about thirty meters away in a triangle formation around him.

"So," Kiba asked, cracking his knuckles while Akamaru growled lowly on the ground next to him. "You guy's want to take turns, or go at him all at once?"

"He's a Jounin, Kiba." Hinata reprimanded as she slipped into the Jyuuken stance of the Hyuuga clan. "We'll have to go at him all at once. It's the only chance we'll have."

"All at once it is then." Naruto said, crouching down and dropping his arms to his side as he readied himself to spring into action. "Now, let's get wild."

Kakashi glance around at the three, his considerable amazement at what had happened showing clearly in his eye. '_Well, this was unexpected._' He thought as the Genin charged him.

X X X X X

"I just don't know why you're so insistent we give them a test when we don't even have the option of failing them." Jagaa argued.

"The test is designed to teach them the value of teamwork." Kurenai grated out. "Even if we're not allowed to fail them, we should still find out if they could have passed anyway."

"Are we even thinking of the same Genin?" Jagaa asked irritably, "There's no way those three could _ever_ pass a test like that. The Emo will just try to ditch the other two and do it himself, and the Fangirls will spend the whole time fighting with _each other_. Can you honestly tell me you think it would happen any different?"

Kurenai paused for a second but quickly regained her bearings. "Sometimes being put in extreme situations will bring out the best in people. They might rally together out of desperation."

"You're being naïve." Jagaa stated bluntly. "People don't change that easily. Especially people like that."

"Then what would _you_ do?" Kurenai snapped.

Jagaa gave her a small smirk. "You want to find out? Then just let me handle it. You may even agree with me on it being the best thing to do with a team like this."

Kurenai glared at the man but Jagaa simply gazed back steadily. Finally, she let out a sigh, "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'd say 'Trust me', but I doubt you would anyways." Jagaa said with an impudent grin.

Kurenai felt the faintest of smiles rise on her lips at the man's remark, but she turned it back into a frown as quickly as it came. "This whole situation would have been easier if Hokage-sama hadn't told us we weren't allowed to fail this team. I can't figure out why he would do that though."

"Probably because we don't like each other, combined with the fact I never _wanted_ this job, he thought we might try to take the easy way out and fail them on purpose." Jagaa said thoughtfully.

"I would never do something like that and Hokage-sama knows that." Kurenai defended.

"Oh? In that case he must have known _I_ wanted to do it." Jagaa stated with a smile.

Kurenai had to fight to keep from smacking herself.

"Anyway," Jagaa said with a yawn, "you asked me here early so we could go over the plans for today, but it looks like were done and there's still forty five minutes until they're supposed to get here. So I'm taking a nap." Jagaa walked over to a nearby tree and sat down in the shade, smirking at the woman who was looking at him in disapproval. "Care to join me, Princess?" He asked with a suggestive wag of his eyebrows.

Kurenai threw a Kunai at him, but he caught it easily before tossing it back to her with a laugh and laying on his back in the grass.

X X X X X

About thirty minutes after laying down for his nap, Jagaa was awakened by Kurenai's yell that their team had arrived. Sitting up and stretching lightly, he hopped to his feet and walked over to where Kurenai was standing, arriving almost in sync with the three Genin.

"I'm glad to see everyone is here, and early at that." Kurenai said approvingly.

"Kurenai-sensei, what will we be doing today?" Sakura asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"Yeah, do we start missions today or are we going to be training or something?" Ino followed up. "You just told us to be here."

Sasuke just grunted.

"That's where I come in." Jagaa spoke up before Kurenai could answer. Stepping forward, Jagaa held up three bells for everyone to see. "You three, are going to be given a little test to see how well you can work together, and were going to use a variation I thought up of something called 'The Bell Test' to do it."

"A teamwork test?" Sakura asked as Ino and Sasuke looked questioningly at the bells. "How are those bells going to test us in teamwork?"

"Yes, I would like to hear that as well." Kurenai said with her eyes narrowed on the man.

Jagaa smirked lightly at Kurenai before turning back to the Genin. "As you can see, I have three bells here. All you three have to do is take them from me."

"That's it." Ino asked suspiciously. "There has to be a catch."

"Nice to see you're not a _complete_ typical blonde." Jagaa smiled, "You're right though, there is a catch." Jagaa lowered the bells and attached them to his waist on the right side without dropping his gaze. "There are three bells and three of you. The first catch is that _each one of you_ has to take a bell from me and none of you are allowed to take more than just one. The second catch is that if all you don't manage to take your individual bell from me, then you all fail. It's that simple." Jagaa turned and focused on Sasuke. "Which means, Emo boy, you can't be a one man show in this. You will all have to help each other so each of you can get a bell, or all fail together. Win or lose, you _will_ be a team in this."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on the scarred man, but Ino and Sakura were looking a bit worried. "What happens if we fail?" Sakura finally asked.

Jagaa gave them a grin that looked almost exactly like Naruto's. "Then you get your status as Genin revoked and all of you will be sent back to the academy."

"WHAT!?" Ino screamed with Sakura mirroring the blonde girls shocked look. Sasuke almost looked murderous, and kept casting sidelong glares at the two girls as if he was certain they were going to make him fail.

"What are you so upset about?" Jagaa asked with a raised eyebrow. "I already told you exactly what you had to do to pass. You just have to work as a team, each get a bell, and you're officially Genin." Jagaa smiled reassuringly at the three. "Tell ya what. To make things a little easier for you, I'll even give myself a handicap." Reaching back into his Kunai pouch, Jagaa pulled out a scroll that the other four thought looked familiar. They immediately knew _why_ it looked familiar once Jagaa put chakra into it and was soon holding a steaming bowl of ramen.

"You had _another_ ramen scroll?" Kurenai asked.

Jagaa shrugged. "I used to end up knocking Naruto unconscious in nearly every sparring match. It just became a habit for me to always have a bowl of ramen on me to wake him up with."

Four sweatdrops formed simultaneously.

"Anyway, this will be my handicap." Jagaa said, holding up the bowl. "I'll fight all three of you while eating this bowl of ramen. Also, so as to make it last long enough for you to actually get your bells, I'll only eat one noodle at a time. And since I'm feeling generous, I'll even throw in a rule that says if I spill any of it at any point of the test, I'll pass you all without question. Sound good?"

Ino and Sakura looked extremely relieved at Jagaa's self limitations, but Sasuke was glaring furiously at the man. "Are you trying to insult me?" The Uchiha boy growled. "I am an Uchiha. I don't need handicaps in order to pass your test."

Jagaa gazed down at the boy for some time before smirking lightly. "Oh, is that so?"

Sasuke's eyes widened as the razor edge of cold steel touched his neck.

Jagaa, who had been standing only five meters in front of the boy less than a second ago, was now standing with his back to Sasuke's, holding his sword behind him so that the blade ran at an angle across the young Uchiha's throat. The bowl of ramen was still being held in his left hand, shocking Ino and Sakura when they saw almost no movement from its contents.

"This will be my first lesson to the three of you as a Jounin-sensei." Jagaa said, his voice cool. "You will never be able to become strong, until you first understand how weak you really are." Jagaa twitched his arm just enough for the blade to bite into Sasuke's neck, making the boy let out a pained gasp as a thin trail of blood flowed from the small wound.

Sasuke raised his hand and wiped at the warm wetness that he felt trailing down his neck before holding it out in front of him and staring in shock at the red liquid covering his finger tips. He felt the blade pull away from his neck and heard the hiss of the steel sliding back into a sheath followed by the a light click. Raising his eyes, Sasuke once again found Jagaa standing in front of him, slowly pulling his right hand away from the hilt of his weapon and still holding the bowl of ramen in his left.

Sasuke stared at the man for several moments before looking back down to his bloodied fingers and his throat went dry.

Kurenai had to admit she was impressed by the display she had just seen. Jagaa's approach was direct and efficient, even if a little over the top for her taste. '_Still, I think I'm starting to see why Hokage-sama wanted him on this team so badly._' Kurenai thought, looking back to Jagaa.

"So, now that we've established that I could easily kick all three of your little Genin assess from here to Kumo and back, even with a handicap, how about we get this test started?" Jagaa grinned at three before jumping back about twenty meters to sit on his knees in the grass and place the ramen on the ground in front of him. "Come at me whenever you're ready."

Sakura and Ino looked at each other uncertainly, neither one seeming willing to make a move. Finally, Sasuke managed to pull himself back from the state Jagaa's demonstration had put him in and was soon ordering both of them to stay out of his way and cover him while he went in to get his bell first. Of course, both girls instantly agreed with him and each pulled out a kunai as Sasuke braced for his charge.

Jagaa watched the three Genin as they broke off from each other, Ino and Sakura banking to his left and right to provide long range support as Sasuke charged directly at him from the front. '_Predictable, and not even real teamwork._' Jagaa thought with a shake of his head. '_Oh well, I knew it would start out like this anyway. We'll just have to see if they can start to actually figure it out._' Calmly snapping apart his chopsticks as Sasuke closed the distance between them, Jagaa picked up his bowl of ramen again and grinned.

"Itadakimasu."

X X X X X

'_Hmm, so much for reading Icha Icha._' Kakashi thought blandly as he ducked the spinning kick to his head from Naruto and twisted out of the way of the palm strike to his abdomen from Hinata. He aimed a light strike for the back of the girls head, but had pull his arm back quickly to avoid having it torn off by a clawed slash from Kiba. Jumping backwards he avoided Akamaru's attempt to bite his leg as he pulled out a kunai to knock several incoming shuriken out of the air before he landed. Keeping his kunai ready for any more projectiles, Kakashi looked over the area.

'_These three are nothing to laugh at.'_ He thought to himself as he watched the Genin getting ready to attack him again. '_All three of them excel at close range combat, and they have been covering each other well. The way they work with each other suggests they have trained together in the past._' Kakashi took his eyes off the three Genin to do a quick examination of the ten identical figures with kunai and shuriken in hand, watching him carefully for a chance to use them. '_Using _Kagebunshin_ to provide some long range support was a good move as well. It's safe to say that if I were an average Chuunin, possibly even above average, I'd already be dead._' Kakashi smiled behind his mask as his team once again resumed the attack. '_I guess it's time to put in a little more effort on my part._' Waiting until his three students were almost on top of him, Kakashi made his move.

Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba barley saw Kakashi move before he appeared in the middle of their formation, his arm already drawn back for a strike.

"Holy shi-" Was all Kiba was able to say before Kakashi's fist went into his stomach knocking him back and leaving him gasping for air. Turning sharply, Kakashi brought his knee up, catching the attacking Akamaru under the jaw and sending the puppy sailing backwards with a pained yelp before he hit the ground.

"Kiba! Akamaru!" Naruto shouted, He didn't get much time to worry about the pair though before he was forced to block Kakashi's punch to his face by crossing his arms in front of him. Through the sting of the impact, Naruto caught sight of Kakashi's left leg heading for his unprotected side. With reflexes born through constant spars with Jagaa, Naruto snapped his own leg up just in time to intercept Kakashi's. The force of the kick made Naruto lose his balance, but he was able to twist his body around and turn his fall into a roll, bringing him right back to his feet where he quickly spun around to face Kakashi again.

As Naruto was regaining his footing, Hinata had aimed a Jyuuken strike for Kakashi's kidneys, but the man easily dodged out of the way and countered with punch aimed for the side of her head. The girl quickly leaned back to avoid the strike, only to realize it had been a feint as her legs were swept from underneath her and she landed painfully on her back. Kakashi looked like he was about to make a follow through attack, but instead had to jump back to avoid Kiba's clawed slash for his ribs followed by barrage of Kunai from Naruto as cover for the Inuzuka. Giving the three Genin an impressed look, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Akamaru!" Kiba yelled in concern once Kakashi was out of sight, "Are you okay, Buddy?"

"I think he was just knocked out. He should be all right." Naruto said as he helped Hinata back to her feet. "Can either of you tell where Kakashi-sensei went."

Picking up Akamaru, who was already whining in pain as he returned to consciousness, Kiba sniffed the air. "I can't smell him."

"Give me a moment." Hinata said, moving away from Naruto and activating her Byakugan and scanning the area. As she was searching, Kiba and Naruto both took up defensive positions beside her, shielding her from a possible surprise attack.

'_They work together better than I could have imagined._' Kakashi thought as he watched them through a gap in the leaves concealing him, thoroughly impressed by what he had seen so far, '_I wonder if this is why Hokage-sama was so insistent that the three of them be on the same team?_'

"Over there, in that tree!" Hinata shouted, pointing to Kakashi's hiding spot. Naruto's clones responded instantly by throwing every weapon they had into the foliage. Kakashi leapt from the branch he was crouched on, the weapons sinking into the tree behind were he had been hiding, and landed in the middle of the clearing.

"NOW!" Naruto shouted, and four clones closed in around Kakashi from all sides, their hands flashing through seals. Just before they reached him, they slammed their hands into the ground shouting "**Doton: Doryuheki no Justu**!" and Kakashi soon found himself literally 'Boxed In' as the four walls of earth shot up around him.

"**Katon**," Kakashi looked above him to see Naruto in the air with his hands forming the Tiger seal, "**Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!" Naruto shouted before sending his attack directly into the open top of the box around Kakashi.

'_Not bad at all._' Kakashi thought with a smile as the fireball closed in on him.

Naruto landed thirty meters away from the cage of earth his clones had created just after his attack impacted through the opening, and spun around see the results. The four clones took it as their signal and jumped away from the area, allowing the four walls to dissolve into mounds of earth.

"Damn! Where'd he go?" Naruto muttered as he saw nothing but a smoking crater in the middle of the four dirt piles.

"Naruto! Below you!" Hinata shouted urgently.

Reacting automatically to Hinata's warning, Naruto jumped into the air just as a pair of hands burst from the ground where he had been standing, with Kakashi's head and torso following behind. Naruto hurled two kunai at the silver haired man, his eyes going wide when they struck their target in the chest which immediately disappeared in puff of smoke. "Kagebunshin!?" Naruto exclaimed as he landed in the grass.

"You didn't think you were the only one who knew it, did you?" As soon as the voice appeared behind Naruto, the boy was thrown facedown to the ground and his arm twisted painfully behind his back.

"Damn! Naruto!" Kiba yelled, rushing forward with Hinata following close behind.

"Both of you stop right there!" Kakashi commanded, pulling out a kunai and holding it to Naruto's neck. The two other Genin instantly slid to a stop, glaring at the Jounin.

Kakashi smirked lightly behind his mask and turned his eye back down to the boy beneath him. "That was some attack you just used. Honestly I've never seen anyone use the _Doryuheki no Justu_ as anything other than a defensive technique. I'm impressed. Have you used that on Jagaa before?"

Naruto smirked painfully underneath the Jounin. "Heh heh, no, it was just something I thought up a little while ago. At least now I know that I never _should_ use it on Nii-san, because if you could get away from it, he definitely could have."

"Oh," Kakashi smiled, "Is it because you think he's stronger than me?"

"I don't know about stronger, but he definitely knows me better than you." Naruto's smirk became victorious, "For example, Nii-san wouldn't have fallen for _this_." Kakashi's eye widened when the blonde beneath him burst into a cloud of smoke.

"Another _Kagebunshin_!" Kakashi gasped, before hearing Naruto's voice shout from the side.

"**Doton: Yomi no Muma**!" (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)

The next thing Kakashi knew, he was submerged in a thick sludge and fighting to get back to the surface of what had been solid ground only a moment before. Gasping for air as his head broke free of the thick liquid, he forced his body to stay on the surface and made his way to the edge of the sludge. Finally reaching solid ground again, Kakashi exhaled in relief and started pull himself out of the thick liquid, only to be stopped by the feel of cold steel on each side of his neck and a glowing palm in front of his face. Raising his single eye he rotated it from left to right, looking and Kiba, Hinata, and Naruto in turn. "Well, that was unexpected." He said casually to Naruto, "Where'd you learn that?"

"A few years ago, Nii-san and I were at a hot spring and found some old pervert peeping on the women's baths." Naruto smirked. "In exchange for not ratting him out, he agreed to teach us a few techniques he knew. _Yomi no Muma _was one of them."

Kakashi smiled up at the blonde. "I see."

"Heh heh, looks like we got you, Kakashi-sensei." Kiba smirked.

"So if you would kindly hand over the bells." Hinata followed, inching her hand closer to his forehead, "We would appreciate it."

"I suppose it would only be right." Kakashi replied, still smiling. Slowly, he reached back under the marshy waters and undid the bells from his waist, raising his arm back up for Hinata to take the bells from him. "However, now that you have them, how are you going to decide who gets them?"

"That's really quite simple, Kakashi-sensei." Hinata smiled as she and the two boys moved away from the half submerged Jounin. Putting a bell into the palm of each hand, Hinata held her arms out to her side. Grinning foxily down at Kakashi, Naruto moved to Hinata's left and clasped her hand with his as Kiba mirrored his actions to Hinata's right, firmly locking the bells between each of their joined hands.

"We all get them." Naruto finished, his foxy grin widening as Hinata smiled and Kiba smirked.

Kakashi stared at the three Genin for some time before his eye curved into a smile that showed how proud he was of his new team. "I suppose there's no way for me to argue with that, now is there?" The Genin smugly shook their heads and Kakashi's smile widened. "Well then, as this moment, we are officially Team8. We'll meet up here tomorrow at 7a.m. to start doing missions."

Kiba and Naruto let out whoops of joy as Akamaru barked out his own celebration and Hinata smiled satisfactorily.

"Okay then. You're all free to go until tomorrow morning, but before you do," Kakashi reached out imploringly to his new students, "help me."

The three Genin all burst out laughing at the pleading in the Jounin's voice, and continued to laugh even as Naruto and Kiba pulled the man from the swampy water.

X X X X X

Jagaa slurped down a single noodle as he leaned to the side, Sasuke's foot passing where his head had been a moment ago. Taking a step forward and to the right, Jagaa moved out of the way of Sasuke's follow up punch to the abdomen. Taking stepping to the left this time, Jagaa placed himself behind the boy and, with a quick twist of his body, planted his foot in the middle Sasuke's back, sending him sprawling into the dirt. Raising his chopsticks, Jagaa brought another noodle to his mouth as he leaned back just enough for a kunai to fly in front of him, before turning slightly to allow the one coming from his rear to harmlessly pass by his right shoulder as he slurped the noodle into his mouth. "This stuff ain't bad at all." He remarked to know one in particular.

Sasuke growled low in his throat as he picked himself up off the ground, glaring at Jagaa. Honestly, Sasuke wasn't sure what he was more angry about. The fact that Jagaa was calmly eating ramen and treating him like he wasn't even worth his time, or the fact that it was that same man who seemed so relaxed that had made Sasuke tremble in fear as the sword bit into his neck.

'_No, I won't accept this!_' Sasuke snared internally, '_I am an Uchiha, superior to all others. I will prove to this clanless upstart that he is nothing compared to the power of _my _clan._' Sasuke charged in again, drawing a kunai as he ran. Closing the distance between them, Sasuke noticed Jagaa had started twirling a noodle around on his chopsticks in a bored manner and his anger grew. '_I'll teach him to take me lightly._' Ducking low, Sasuke cut left with the intent to slash for Jagaa's thigh, but instead was forced to throw himself to the ground in a roll in order to avoid the shuriken that had been heading for the same target. Finishing his role, Sasuke came up and glared in the direction the shuriken had come from to see Ino looking horrified that she had almost hit him.

"What do you think you're doing, Ino-Pig!?" Sakura screeched from across the field. "You almost hit Sasuke-kun!"

Ino shook herself out of her shock at nearly harming her crush and quickly defended herself. "How was I supposed to know he'd go in low like that?" She shouted, pointing indignantly at the other girl, "At least I'm _trying_ to help Sasuke-kun, instead of just standing back and watching like a certain Forehead girl!"

"I'm trying to make _sure_ I won't hit Sasuke-kun, unlike you, Ino-pig!" Sakura snapped back.

'_They're both completely useless._' Sasuke thought with a scowl as his female teammates continued their heated argument.

"You know," Jagaa spoke to the three Genin with a smirk, "this ramen is really good. It's nice to be able to just relax and take your time eating now and then, don't you think?"

Jagaa's statement about being relaxed made Sasuke's anger grow to new heights. Charging forward again, he threw a kunai for Jagaa's head, which the man calmly avoided by tilting it to side and letting the weapon pass by. Still allowing his anger at being toyed with to drive him, Sasuke closed the distance between them and renewed his assault.

Standing in the shade of a larger tree, Kurenai was frowning at the scene before her as Jagaa easily dodged around Sasuke's attempts to land some sort of blow. Behind them, she could see Sakura and Ino looking on uncertainly, each one holding a kunai ready to throw, but obviously hesitant to do so, both seeming to have been affected by Ino's near miss on their teammate earlier.

'_It's just like he said._' Kurenai thought with a shake of her head, '_Even after being _told_ the test was about teamwork, they still can't figure it out. Sasuke told Ino and Sakura to stay back and cover him, but without some sort of plan or knowledge of the one you're covering, that kind of teamwork is more likely to get him killed, as almost happened earlier. Ino and Sakura just don't know enough about how Sasuke fights to predict him and attack accordingly._' She noticed that the two girls had apparently ended up in an argument over how to best help Sasuke, each one saying that they could do it better than the other.

Kurenai shifted her gaze back over to the two males. '_As for Sasuke, he isn't even trying to follow the test's guidelines. He only thinks of the girls as nuisances and is still trying to figure out a way to win by himself. His arrogance is going to be a serious problem in the future. I hate to say it, but Jagaa was right about the fact they would _never_ have passed the normal test. They can't even work together when they're_ told_ that's the object of the test._' she watched Jagaa sidestep Sasuke's latest punch before calmly kicking the boy in the shin as he slurped a ramen noodle into his mouth.

Kurenai would keep the satisfaction she got as Sasuke landed face first into the grass to herself.

"This is starting to get boring." Jagaa complained as Sasuke picked himself up off the ground. Setting his chopsticks on the side of his bowl, Jagaa caught a kunai aimed for his side with his right hand and used the weapon knock the one heading for his chest out of the air. With a negligent toss, he rid himself of the weapon he had intercepted and picked up his chopsticks again. "You know, you'll never have a chance at hitting me with one of those if you only attack when Emo Boy is well out of the way." He called out to the two girls, "It's like shouting 'Here it comes' before you throw because I always know what to expect."

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Ino shouted. "If we throw when he's by you one of us might hit him like I almost did!"

Jagaa shrugged as he picked up another noodle. "I guess you'll just have to try something else then."

"**Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu**!" Sasuke's shout drew everyone's attention to the large fireball that was heading straight for Jagaa.

"Something like, that." Jagaa said and pointed at the incoming attack with his chopsticks. As he did so, he was struck with an idea and his face lit up with a wide grin.

'_A Genin isn't supposed to have enough chakra for an attack like that!_' Kurenai thought in shock as the attack bore down on Jagaa. Shifting her sights to see what the man was going to do in response, the red eyed woman was surprised to see Jagaa grinning happily and reaching for his sword.

Now, Kurenai, in here years of being an active Kunoichi, had seen many things that most people wouldn't normally do when a raging ball of fire was heading for them, but none of them could have prepared her what Jagaa did next.

Drawing his sword quickly, the scarred man held it in front of him with the flat of the blade facing up, and placed the bowl of ramen almost to the very tip of the blade, balancing it carefully. Then, just as the flaming attack was about to reach him, Jagaa stuck the sword straight out in front of him so that the ramen bowl was less than two feet away from the fire and started back peddling away from it, making sure to keep the same distance between his food and the fireball as he did.

Four jaws all dropped in sync as Jagaa raced backwards, his sword never wavering and the bowl staying perfectly balanced in front of the flaming attack. He continued his reversed run for about fifty meters before deciding his goal was accomplished and leapt to the side to let the fireball pass him by. Turning his blade back so that it ran in front of him, Jagaa smiled at the now freshly steaming bowl before looking back up to the still stunned Sasuke. "Wow! That worked _way_ better than I expected! The ramen was starting to get cold since I've had to play around with you so long, but it's good now. You know, if the whole 'Ninja' thing doesn't work out, you could make a killing reheating leftovers for people."

Sasuke recovered from his state of shock and practically snarled at the man. "Are you mocking me?'

"Would I do that?" Jagaa replied with a smile.

Kurenai was suddenly having flashbacks to the first night she met Jagaa.

"Mocking you or not," Jagaa continued, putting another noodle into his mouth and slurping it up, "The fact remains that you'll never succeed in this test without teamwork, and I'm not talking about this 'stay out of my way and cover' shit you're trying to pull. I mean actual teamwork. You need to make plans, form strategies, and cover each other properly. As it is now, you don't stand a chance."

Sakura and Ino seemed incline to agree, but Sasuke just became more infuriated. "Stop trying to insult me! I am an Uchiha! The whole world knows of our power! I don't need these two pathetic girls in order to-" Sasuke never finished as Jagaa appeared directly in front of him, tossing his ramen bowl high into the air.

"T" Jagaa smashed a fist into Sasuke's stomach, causing the boy to double over with a pained gasp.

"E" Sasuke's head snapped up from the upper cut to his jaw.

"A" Jagaa's right fist came around, impacting the side of Sasuke's head.

"M" This time Jagaa's left fist crashed into the other side of the Uchiha's head.

"W" Jagaa's right leg came up, slamming into the boy's unprotected side.

"O" The scarred man's left knee rammed into Sasuke's gut, lifting him into the air as blood flew from his mouth.

"R" Pulling his knee back, Jagaa snapped his leg up, catching the boy under the chin and sending him even higher into the air. Without pause, Jagaa leapt into the air after him, turning his body sideways and spinning with his left leg extended.

"K" Jagaa shouted, slamming his heal into of Sasuke's chest, launching the boy back to the earth, where he landed hard on his back, more blood spurting from his mouth from the impact.

Landing smoothly, Jagaa extended his left right hand and easily caught his descending bowl of ramen before bringing the bowl to his lips, drinking down all the ramen that was left. "This test is over." Jagaa declared, tossing the bowl aside and wiping his mouth on his arm.

"S-Sasuke-Kun!" Sakura shouted as she and Ino rushed over to the boy who had turned on his side and curled up in pain.

"Out of the way!" Kurenai yelled, pulling the two girls aside before kneeling down next to the boy. Her hands flashed through a few seals and started to glow a soft green color, after which Kurenai placed one on Sasuke's forehead and one on his chest. The worry on her face instantly became relief when her hasty examination didn't reveal any broken bones or internal bleeding. Sighing gratefully that the boy was going to be all right, she snapped her head up and glared at the scarred man in front of her. "What do you think you were doing!?" She shouted at him, "Do you have any idea how lucky you are that he wasn't seriously injured!?"

"I know what I'm doing." Jagaa responded coolly. "Besides, what I just did to him isn't even _close_ to some of the punishment I've put Naruto through." '_Though I do need to remember that not _everyone _heals as quickly he does._' He added mentally.

"Is Sasuke-kun going to be all right?" Ino asked anxiously.

Kurenai nodded. "Yes, he'll be fine. It seems it just looked worse than it really was." After reassuring the girls, she resumed glaring at Jagaa. "Even though it was completely unjustified."

"Depends on your point of view," Jagaa replied. "But I suppose, since I'm partnered with you and all, I should at least _pretend_ to care about yours."

Kurenai's red eyes went ice cold, but Jagaa's expression remained neutral as the two of them stared each other down. The contest of wills was left unfinished though when their attention was pulled away by Sasuke's pained groaning as he tried to sit up.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" Ino and Sakura asked simultaneously, casting hard looks at each other after they did.

"Try not to move too much yet." Kurenai advised, placing her hand on the boy's back. Sasuke glared at her in response before shifting the glare to the man who had just used him as a punching bag.

"I think it's safe to say, that you three failed this test horribly." Jagaa said, crossing his arms and nodding. "Yep, definitely failed."

"Does…does that mean we're going to be sent back to the academy?" Sakura asked, a slight quaver in her voice.

Jagaa and Kurenai exchanged a glance, Kurenai's still showing her displeasure with the scarred man, and Jagaa shrugged. "You can tell them."

"Tell us what?" Ino asked.

Kurenai stood up and moved in front of the three Genin, a small frown on her face. "The truth is that this test was more or less just to see if you could have passed the _real_ test if it had been required." She stated, casting a glance at each of them in turn. "However, though I don't know why, Hokage-sama has forbidden me and Jagaa-san from failing this team under any circumstances. Therefore you will not be sent back to the academy."

"Then," Sakura asked hopefully, "We still get to be Genin? We get to stay on this team?"

Kurenai nodded. "Yes, as of now we are officially Team7. Tomorrow we will all meet here at 9 a.m. to begin receiving missions."

"Yata, we're still Genin! We don't have to go back to the academy!" Ino cheered, her and Sakura putting aside there normal rivalry to give each other a celebratory hug. Even Sasuke, despite the pain his body was in, smirked lightly at the news.

"I don't know why the three of you are so happy." Jagaa remarked, cutting the celebration short, "If we hadn't been forbidden from failing you, I don't think even Princess there would have disagreed with sending you back. The fact of the matter is, you three are only still Genin because we _have_ to let you be." Jagaa turned his face to each of them in turn, his expression hard. "I wonder how long you'll be able to be so pleased with yourselves, knowing that every time you see another team of Genin, you'll have to live with the fact that they _earned_ their places and the hitai-ate they wear. You did _not_." Without another word, Jagaa spun around and began walking out of the training field. Behind him, Sakura and Ino had cast their eyes to the ground while Sasuke glared at the man.

Kurenai's eyes were also on Jagaa's retreating back, narrowed in thought as she tried to figure out what to make of her new partner. His methods were direct, even brutal. From his attempt to literally pound 'Teamwork' into Sasuke, to bluntly telling the three children that they didn't deserve their new position, everything was too harsh and hurtful in Kurenai's opinion. She believed that children should be guided carefully and caringly, giving them a chance to see their own faults and learn from their mistakes. From their personalities to their teaching styles, she and Jagaa were nothing alike.

'_The Tiger and the Dragon indeed._' Kurenai thought with a shake of her head. '_I truly don't know what Hokage-sama could have been thinking with this._'

X X X X X

"Hey Nii-san, how did the test for your team go?" Naruto asked Jagaa he walked through the door to their apartment, pausing the game he was playing so he could look back at his older brother.

"Let me put it this way." Jagaa replied, going into the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of Sake that he immediately started chugging without signs of stopping until the bottle was empty.

"That bad huh?" Naruto grinned.

Jagaa finished off the entire bottle and threw it away before reaching for another one. "Yeah, that bad. I finally understand _completely_ why you were always bitching about those three. I've only known them a few hours and I already feel my sanity slipping."

"Pfft, you'd of had to have sanity to begin with for it to be slipping." Naruto joked.

Jagaa laughed as he walked back into the living room. "Heh, good point. Anyway, how'd it go on your end? Did you kick Kakashi's ass?"

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Man, Nii-san, it was so cool! You should have seen us! First the three of us surrounded him and all charged him together! Then we…"

Jagaa listened patiently as Naruto recapped an extremely exaggerated account of his team's victory over their sensei, praising the boy on his attempt to box Kakashi in as well as catching him with the _Yomi no Muma_, and laughing loudly when Naruto told him about Kakashi's plea for help in getting out of the swamp. "Sounds like you three did a great job." Jagaa said proudly through his laughter, "How about we go out for some Ichiraku's to celebrate?"

Naruto's cheers could have been heard in Suna, and before Jagaa could even blink, the boy was already out the door and in the middle of the street, jumping up and down impatiently as he shouted for Jagaa to hurry up. Laughing at his little brother's antics, Jagaa exited the apartment, locking the door behind him, and jumped down to the street, following the excited boy who was continuing to cheer for his favorite food.

**A/N:** Well, there ya go. Let me know what you thought of it. Ja ne.


	9. Brothers on the Loose

**A/N:** Okay, before you all start reading this, I should warn you that this chapter is, well, a little random. I don't know why my muse was so insistent on the way it ended up, but she has completely refused to give me any help in trying to clean it up and make it tie in better. I was able to get some suggestions from my pals at Otaku Town to help at least a _little_ bit (Something that almost got me shot by my muse. Who knew a mistress of the arts and creativity could get a concealed weapons permit?) but it's still not the best. Just remember, if at any point of the chap you find yourself going "WTF was he thinking?' just remember.

Blame the muse.

With that being said, I have to run now because my muse has just drawn her gun again, and she doesn't look happy. Hope you still enjoy the chap despite its faults-AHH! (Gunshots are heard along with the tipping of a chair, franticly pounding footsteps, and shouted apologies, all fading into the distance.)

**Disclaimer:** If you don't know that I don't own Naruto, then you are an idiot and should do the world a favor by killing yourself. But that's just my opinion. (Don't really though. I might feel kinda bad if you did.)

**Chapter 9:** Brothers on the Loose

"This is outrageous, Hokage-sama!" A councilman shouted indignantly as murmurs of agreement ran through the meeting chambers.

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably. Even though he knew this was going to happen, all the yelling and indignant protests were starting to grate on his nerves. "I don't see what the council is so upset about." The old man replied, using all the willpower he had to keep the exasperation out of his voice. "You all asked that it be insured that Uchiha Sasuke would be placed on a Genin team, no matter what it took, and I fulfilled that request. I even did it in a way that would avoid showing favoritism to Sasuke-kun by using the personalities of his new sensei to justify it."

"We have no complaint over the fact that Uchiha Sasuke has been placed on a Genin team." Another council member declared, "We _do_ however have a concern over _whose_ team you placed him on. It was bad enough that you even made this 'Jagaa' character a Jounin sensei in the first place, but to then put him in charge of the last Uchiha. What motivation could you possibly have for such a decision?"

"Yes, Sarutobi, what is your motivation for having the Uchiha trained by an outsider? An outsider that, if I'm not mistaken, has shown neither love nor loyalty for our village?"

Sarutobi turned to look into the half bandaged face of the man he had beaten out for the position of Sandaime Hokage. "There were many factors in my decision, Danzou-san. The biggest one would be that, despite his complete lack of respect for _anyone_, I feel Jagaa is best suited to train that particular team, especially with Kurenai-san on the team as well. I believe they shall be excellent instructors for Sasuke-kun, Yamanaka-san, and Haruno-san…as soon as the two of them learn to overcome their differences." Sarutobi added the last part with a slight frown.

"As always, you put to much faith in people, Sarutobi." Danzou said snidely, "I would have thought that certain, _events_, would have made you a bit more cautious."

"Danzou! This is neither the time nor place for that!" One of Sarutobi's advisors, and elderly woman named Utatane Koharu snapped.

"Indeed, this isn't the time to bring up old disputes." The Sandaime's second advisor, an old man named Motokado Homura agreed. "However, I do have my own concerns in this matter." He turned and faced the Hokage with a questioning frown. "Why did you not assign the Uchiha to Hatake Kakashi's team? Seeing as he is the strongest Jounin our village currently has to offer and even possesses the Sharingan, I believe he would have best suited to train the boy in the use of his bloodline, as well as protect the boy from anyone who might seek to claim the Sharingan for themselves. Even you're reasons of using the sensei's personality is voided since you could have done the same thing to Hatake-san due to his having failed every team he's ever been chosen to teach."

"Those are valid points." Sarutobi conceded. "However, what you seem to be forgetting, Homura, is that the Sharingan _is_ a bloodline ability. Unlike a normal jutsu that can be taught and shared, a person with a bloodline can only learn how to control their abilities on their own. If you need an example, Kakashi-kun himself is a prime one. He was never taught how to use the Sharingan he inherited, but now he holds mastery over it, with the exhaustion that the eye brings due to the fact he is not an Uchiha being his only limitation. It may be true that Kakashi-kun could give Sasuke-kun tips or pointers, but that would be all. Also, in regards to being able to protect Sasuke-kun, a fact that it seems you overlooked is that I put _two_ Jounin in charge of Team7, meaning he already has _double_ the protection he would normally have received." Sarutobi paused for a moment to ensure that the entire room was listening. "If that is not enough for you, then I will also add the fact that Kakashi-kun himself has said that he is uncertain he could win in a fight against Jagaa-san."

A stir of surprise passed through everyone present and soon the room was filled with low murmurs as the council discussed the revelation with each other. The private discussions continued for some time until Danzou made his voice heard again. "Be that as it may, Sarutobi, what of the man's _loyalty_. How can you be so certain he won't betray the village?"

"Because he won't betray _Naruto_." The Sandaime said pointedly. "Naruto is completely loyal to this village, despite everything he has been put through, and wants to protect it. Jagaa may have no love for his village, but he does love Naruto like a brother and will protect the village for Naruto's sake if for nothing else."

Danzou paused for a moment before voicing his opinion. "Your faith in dangerous elements will be the end of you, Sarutobi."

"And your inability to have faith in people could be the end of _you_." The Hokage replied before smiling lightly. "Why don't we just wait and see how things turn out? Who knows, maybe you will even come to agree with my decision."

X X X X X

"Nii-san! _Nii-san_! Wake up!" Naruto yelled as he shook his brother's slumbering form.

"Unn, lea me aone." The man mumbled sleepily, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow without opening his eyes.

"Nii-san, get out of bed already!" Naruto said in exasperation. "You're supposed go meet up with your team now! So am _I_ for that matter, but my lazy brother is making me late!"

"No un assd oo to wae me u." Jagaa's muffled reply came back sullenly.

"Quit being a baby and go meet your team, Nii-san." Naruto commanded, walking towards the door. "I'll warm you up some breakfast so hurry up."

"…I'm nt bein a baby." Jagaa pouted into his pillow as Naruto closed the door behind him.

X X X X X

"You're late, Naruto." Kakashi said without looking up from his book as the boy dashed up to the rest of his team. "And coming from me, that's saying something."

"S-sorry, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto panted, "I was trying to get Nii-san out of bed and it ended up taking a while."

"Is Jagaa really that deep of a sleeper?" Kiba asked with a frown.

Naruto shook his head. "No, he's actually a pretty light sleeper usually. He just doesn't want to meet up with his team so he's trying to stay in bed all day." Naruto put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "He must _really_ not like his team though. I haven't seen him this determined to stay in bed since we were in Kiri and he was trying to hide from a group of Kunoichi Fangirls that were after him."

This time Kakashi did look up from his book, his visible eye displaying his surprise. "Fangirls? In Kiri? That's unusual. Kiri Kunoichi are well known for being some of the most dangerous Kunoichi in the Ninja world."

"Yeah, well, I'm not really sure what happened either." Naruto admitted. "From what Nii-san would tell me, he got in a fight with some guy who likes using a sword in a bar one night and won. It raised a huge commotion though, and I think they were even trying to get him to join the village. It must have really impressed the Kunoichi though, because they wouldn't leave him alone after that." Naruto started laughing at the memory. "He hid in bed every day for a week before a moonless night came and we snuck out of the village." Both Hinata and Kiba laughed along with Naruto as they pictured Jagaa cowering under the covers as he hid from a bunch of women.

Kakashi, however, for some reason was looking a bit shaken by what he had just heard.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled, snapping the man out of his thoughts. "You said we would be doing missions today right? So let's get going already!"

"Hai, hai." Kakashi answered in a bored manner after quickly recovering his composure. "Let's go to the Hokage's office then so we can get our first mission."

"Yosh! Time to show you all what I'm made of!" Naruto shouted.

Akamaru barked from his place on top of Kiba's head, causing the boy to snicker. "Akamaru says that you're probably made of ramen, judging by how you smell." Hinata let out small laugh of her own at the comment.

"Ah, thanks Akamaru. You're a real pal." Naruto said happily, scratching behind the puppy's ears affectionately.

'_Only Naruto would think being made of ramen was compliment._' The other three humans on the team thought with a sweatdrop as the canine eagerly accepted Naruto's administrations.

X X X X X

Kurenai was angry. No, scratch that, she was _livid_.

"Where _is_ he!?" The red eyed woman practically snarled, making the three Genin take a few steps away in apprehension. "He's _three and a half hours late_! Not even _Kakashi_ is ever this late!"

"Uh, Kurenai-sensei," Sakura spoke up nervously, "couldn't we just leave without him. Since we already have one Jounin-sensei with us and everything, we'd still be able to take missions, right?"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Kurenai snapped, making Sakura squeak in fright. "This is our first day as a _team_, meaning we _all_ have to be here! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE HAS THE NERVE NOT TO SHOW UP AFTER WHAT HE DID YESTERDAY!"

Ino and Sakura both backed further away from the angry woman, but Sasuke simply glared at the ground, rubbing his sore ribs. He knew full well what she was talking about, and in all truth, he wouldn't mind in the least if Jagaa didn't show up.

"Damn you're loud." Jagaa's familiar voice came from off to the side. "Are you on your rag or something?"

Kurenai didn't even bother to respond before she started throwing every kunai and shuriken she could get her hands on at the dirty-blonde arrival.

"Holy shit, Princess!" Jagaa yelled, peeking his head out from behind the tree he had used for cover. "That's one hell of way to say good morning."

"You show up three and a half hours late, even after your _explanation_ about the importance of teamwork yesterday, and then on top of all that you have the nerve to ask me something so vulgar as soon as you finally _do_ arrive." Kurenai's tone could have been measured in below zero temperatures. "Do you even care about the example your setting?"

"I'm sorry, you're right, Princess." Jagaa said apologetically, however, his sincerity was quickly proven false when his expression became a mischievous smile. "What I should have asked is, is it that time of the month where you continuously bleed out of your- Oh Crap!" Jagaa dove behind another tree as more shuriken and kunai almost to impaled him. Glancing around the tree again he smirked at the irate woman. "I'll take that as a Yes."

"Let's. Just. _Go_." Kurenai grated out, turning on her heel and storming off in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"Hey, Princess, you need to wait for the rest of us! You're not setting a very good example of teamwork!" Jagaa called after her just before ducking behind Sakura and Ino when he saw the woman's hand moving towards her kunai pouch again. Kurenai glared back at the man before continuing her furious trek to the tower. Sasuke gave the man his own glare before following his female sensei.

"…I don't think those two like me very well." Jagaa mused as he watched Kurenai and Sasuke stalk away. Standing up, he grinned down at the two girls. "How about I walk with you two instead."

Sakura turned away from the man with a huff. "I'd rather walk with Sasuke-kun." She said aloofly before running to catch up to her crush.

"Ahh, it looks like nobody likes me." Jagaa smirked and looked back down at Ino. "Shouldn't you be going after them, miss 'Fangirl Number 2'? Your crush is being hit on by your rival after all."

Ino looked down the path, seeing Sakura actively trying to engage an unresponsive Sasuke in conversation, then back to Jagaa who was staring down at her with one eyebrow raised curiously at her hesitation and grit her teeth, unable to believe she was actually going to say this. "Uh, actually, Jagaa-sensei, I think I'll take you up on your offer to walk together."

Jagaa's eyebrows rose high in surprise at the girl's words. "…Huh?"

X X X X X

Sarutobi tapped his finger impatiently as he leaned on his left arm. All morning, teams had been coming and going as they received and completed missions, however, the two teams that he had been _waiting_ on hadn't even so much as made an appearance yet. Well, honestly, he had expected Team 8 to be late, due to having Kakashi as their sensei, but Team 7 should have been in hours ago. Then again, _Jagaa_ was part of that team as well, and the man seemed to take perverse pleasure in making life difficult for people, a fact that still made the old man feel a bit guilty for having to involve Kurenai to make his plans reality. The poor woman may very well be driven insane by her unrestrained partner Jounin.

A quick knock on the door snapped the Hokage out of his thoughts and he looked up to see Kakashi's face peeking around the door, his normal smile in place. "Excuse me, Team 8 here to receive our first mission." After his announcement, he casually walked into the room followed by an excited looking Naruto, a reserved Hinata, and an eager Kiba.

"All right!" Naruto cheered as the four of them entered. "We finally get to start doing some missions!"

"Ho ho, I'm glad to see your so eager, Naruto." The old man smiled before looking over to Kakashi. "I am curious as to why you're even later than usual though, Kakashi."

"It seems we all got lost on different roads of life and it took us a while to find an intersection where we could meet once again." Kakashi smiled.

"I hate you." Naruto said suddenly, surprising everyone…including himself by the look on his face.

"Naruto-kun, why did you say something like that?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto scratched his head uncertainly. "I…don't really know. It just seemed like someone should."

Kakashi almost dropped his book at how deep Jagaa's influence on the boy ran.

Another knock on the door cut off any further questions and soon Kurenai, Sasuke, and Sakura had joined the rest of them in the room. "Team 7 Reporting." Kurenai said in a rather subdued tone, her eyes showing her current irritation.

"Ah, hello Kurenai-san." Sarutobi said cordially, his eyes scanning the three new arrivals before he glanced at the door expectantly. "It seems you are missing a couple members of your team."

Kurenai sighed pensively. "They're coming, sir, Jagaa and Ino are just trailing behind us a bit." As if clarify her words, a loud girlish laugh was heard on the other side of the door.

"Did he _really_ do that?" Ino asked, clutching her sides in mirth as she and Jagaa walked into the office.

"Honest to Kami." Jagaa laughed. "When he realized what he'd done, he ran back home screaming like a five year old girl in embarrassment. I couldn't even get him to leave the hotel again for three days."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Naruto asked quickly, suspicion and dread clearly evident in his voice. Ino and Jagaa looked at the boy for a full three seconds before both burst out laughing, much to the displeasure of the sunny-blonde. "What's so freaking funny?" He shouted at the other two blondes.

"Did you _really_ run through a village naked when Jagaa-sensei told you that there was a stand giving out free ramen on the other side of town as you were getting out of the shower?" Ino asked, her voice breaking with her laughter.

Naruto paled as everyone in the room stared at him incredulously…except for Jagaa and Ino who were still to busy laughing. "You told her about that?"

"Among other things." Jagaa smirked.

"As in, I'm going to be the object of ridicule for a few months before it goes away other things, or I should kill myself now other things?" Naruto asked fearfully.

"Hmm," Jagaa turned to Ino thoughtfully. "What do you think?"

Smiling widely, Ino offered Naruto a kunai, and the boy instantly broke out into tears of despair.

"She's exaggerating." Jagaa said quickly, giving Ino a frown that was betrayed by the amusement behind it. Ino just smiled impudently and stuck her tongue out at him. Turning back to Naruto, Jagaa patted the boy on the back reassuringly. "I promise, it was only…well mostly, some of the milder stuff. At the very least, I didn't tell her about _that._"

Naruto's crying stopped instantly as he jumped, planting his knees in Jagaa's chest and holding tightly to the man's collar as he shook him violently. "YOU WOULDN'T! YOU PROMISED YOU'D NEVER TELL ANYONE ABOUT _THAT_! YOU SAID YOU'D TAKE IT TO YOUR GRAVE! I REALLY _WILL_ KILL MYSELF IF ANYONE EVER FINDS OUT ABOUT _THAT_!"

"Relax." Jagaa laughed, easily pulling the boy off and setting him back on the ground. "I just said I _didn't_ tell her."

"Tell me what?" Ino asked innocently.

Jagaa looked back to her with a knowing smirk. "He just doesn't want anyone to know about the time that-"

"GYAAAA!" With a cry of horror, Naruto launched himself at his older brother, knocking him over and trying with everything he had to cover the scarred man's mouth as they wrestled on the floor.

As Naruto and Jagaa rolled around the room, the bystanders watching with large sweatdrops, Sarutobi was only able to shake his head at the two blondes' behavior.

"Say it!" Jagaa ordered, now holding the boy in a head lock and giving him a fierce noogie. "Say 'Ramen Sucks'!"

"Never! I'll never say it!" Naruto yelled defiantly.

"Say it!" Jagaa commanded again, rubbing his knuckles against Naruto's head even harder.

"Gahh…never..." Naruto clenched his teeth against the pain. "I'll die before I say it."

Jagaa let out an explosive breath. "Fine, say the other one and I'll let you go."

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, wear pink tutus, sing 'Flavor Girls' songs in the shower, and read gay porn magazines before I go to bed and dream about making sweet love to the members of the boy band 'Out of Sync'!" Naruto yelled out without hesitation, followed by a loud crash as everyone in the room fell to the floor.

"Tch, fine." Jagaa grumbled. Letting go of Naruto's neck so they could both get back to their feet, Jagaa smirked widely as Naruto nursed his sore head. "One of these days though, I'm gonna get you to say 'Ramen Sucks'."

"Hah, not in this lifetime!" Naruto declared, glaring at the man.

"You know, you really do like ramen _way_ too much." Kiba stated, as the others nodded their agreement with dumbstruck expressions.

"No way!" Naruto argued. "There's no such thing as liking ramen too much."

"Oh yes there is." Jagaa piped in, "and Kiba's right. You _do_ like it too much."

"Do not!" Naruto shouted.

"Do to." Jagaa countered.

"Do not!"

"Do to."

"Do _not_!"

"Do to times infinity."

"Hey! That's cheating!"

"Is not."

"Is to!"

"Is no-"

"BOTH OF YOU JUST _STOP_!" Kurenai screamed out, unable to take the childish arguing any longer. "You're acting like preschoolers, and in front of the _Hokage_ no less! GROW UP AND START ACTING LIKE REAL NINJA!" Kurenai was actually panting in anger as she glared at the two blondes.

Naruto and Jagaa both stared at the woman for a little while before Naruto motioned for Jagaa to come closer and whispered audibly. "You know, that lady is really bossy."

"You're telling me." Jagaa agreed with his own easily heard whisper. "I think she's on her period too. That never helps matters."

Kurenai's hand started inching for her kunai pouch and the rest of the rooms occupants started moving to cover.

Naruto was looking at his brother in confusion, unaware of the impending danger. "What's a 'Period', and what do women's tempers have to do with them?"

Jagaa smirked. "Well, a period is when-"

In what could be termed a fortunate turn of events for the two blondes, due to the fact Kurenai's hand had just closed around a kunai handle, the door to the Hokage's office burst open followed by a loud and excited shout of "JAGAA-CHAN!". Before anyone had a chance to blink, the man in question was tackled to the floor where he lay spread eagle on his back with the plum haired Anko hugging him tightly around the midsection. "I heard your voice from down the hall and I just _had_ to come say Hi!" The woman confessed as she nuzzled into Jagaa's stomach.

"…You know…I'm having the strangest feeling of déjà vu." Jagaa commented from his place on the floor, only Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai actually understanding what he meant.

"Gah, it's the crazy lady that was walking around our apartment naked!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the trench coat wearing woman.

Anko stopped her nuzzling at the shout and looked over to Naruto, a wolfish smile lighting up her face as she raised her self up and eyed him seductively. "Oh, if it isn't little Naru-chan. Are finally ready to let Anko-nee-chan take away that _pesky_ virginity for you?" The woman gave her lips a hungry lick as she finished.

Naruto face turned ghostly white before he dove behind Kurenai, somehow instinctively knowing the red eyed woman would be his best defense against the crazy purple haired one. "Help! She's gonna rape me!"

Before Kurenai even had a chance to either reassure Naruto or reprimand Anko, Kiba shot forward and grabbed Naruto by the collar and started screaming at his blonde friend. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! NOT ONLY IS THAT WOMAN COMPLETELY WILLING, SHE'S FUCKING _HOT_! NOW YOU GET OVER THERE THIS INSTANT AND BECOME HER PERSONAL SEX TOY OR I'LL _NEVER_ FORGIVE YOU!"

"Uh, Kiba," Jagaa said, raising his arm off the ground where Anko still had him pinned. "Not that I mind you encouraging Naruto stop being such a prude, you _might_ want to consider who else is in the room before you start shouting things like that."

Kiba looked over to Jagaa. "What do you mean by that?" In response, Jagaa pointed past the Inuzuka. Following Jagaa's point, Kiba turned around to look behind him, only to break into a cold sweat when he saw Ino and Sakura bearing down on him, surrounded by an aura of Righteous Female Fury.

"N-now hold on a second. L-let's talk this out." Kiba stuttered, letting go of Naruto who dove to the floor and rolled away to keep from getting caught in the crossfire. The Inuzuka boy started backing away from the two girls, only to be stopped in his tracks by another body. Slowly, he tilted his head back to look up into Kurenai's narrowed red eyes. In front of him, Ino and Sakura had closed the distance and began cracking their knuckles menacingly. Turning his terrified eyes to each of them in turn, Kiba spoke out in a small voice. "…Uh…I'm sorry?" As expected though, the half hearted apology wasn't enough to save him and the three females attacked.

Bystanders cringed and groaned in sympathy as they watched Kiba receive the beating of his life amidst shouted lectures of perverseness and proper conduct in mixed gender settings.

"Do you thinks he's gonna survive?" Naruto asked Hinata.

Hinata just shrugged in response.

"He he, looks like they've forgotten all about us, Jagaa-chan." Anko smiled, looking down at the man, only to have that smile turn into a confused frown at the almost sinister grin Jagaa had. Seeing her confusion, Jagaa mouthed the words 'Watch this' before taking in a deep breath and yelling. "KAKASHI! HOW DARE YOU READ THAT SMUT WITH YOUNG GIRLS PRESENT!"

The effect was instantaneous. Kurenai, Ino, and Sakura stopped their relentless assault on the helpless Kiba and turned to glare at the masked Jounin with murderous intensity. His danger senses kicking into overdrive, Kakashi reacted by throwing his book out the window like an active grenade. The unexpected action made the three Kunoichi pause in amazement, which in turn gave Kakashi time to realize what he had just done. Once that realization had taken full hold of him, the masked Jounin let out a cry of despair and dove out the window after his precious book.

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at the window…at least for the five seconds before Naruto, Jagaa, and Anko all started laughing uproariously, rolling on the floor and pounding the ground with their fists as clutched their stomachs from their hysterics.

A few seconds later Kakashi popped back into the room with a burst of smoke, cradling the book lovingly as he muttered apologies and reassurances to it. This, of course, made the three rolling Ninja start laughing harder than ever.

"Ow…my head." Kiba groaned as he sat up. Noticing the trio of heavily laughing Ninja, the Inuzuka looked up to Hinata. "Did I miss something?" Despite his current pain, Kiba broke out into his own laughter once Hinata gave him a quick recap.

'_They're all idiots._' Sasuke growled in his mind as he watched the four people still rolling on the floor in mirth.

"Eh hem!" Sarutobi noisily cleared his throat in an effort to bring some sort of order back to the room. It took several tries before Anko, Jagaa, Naruto, and Kiba stopped laughing and Kurenai, Ino, and Sakura to fully calm down from their indignation. It took a couple extra throat clearings after that to get Kakashi to stop apologizing to his book.

With the gathered Ninja finally back to some form of professionalism, or at least as close as they could get to it with this particular group, Sarutobi crossed his hands in front of him and rested his chin on them. "So, it's finally time for the last two rookie teams to get their first missions." He smiled lightly at the nine people, though for some reason it looked a little…eager. "I hope you're ready."

"HELL YEAH!" Naruto shouted. "GIVE US THE MISSION ALREAD OLD-ouch!" Naruto stopped shouting to rub his sore head where Jagaa had struck him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not yell all the time?" Jagaa lectured.

Kakashi looked up from his book, having resumed reading it as usual, and gave Jagaa a relaxed stare. "You know. Technically you're not supposed to discipline him while he's on duty. That's my job as his sensei."

"Hmm, oh, that's true isn't it?" Jagaa conceded. "Okay, by all means." Jagaa indicated Naruto with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you." Kakashi replied lightly, just before hitting Naruto upside the head with his free hand. "Don't yell all the time." He said casually.

"What the hell?" Naruto complained, rubbing his now doubly sore head. "I already got hit!"

'Yes, but now it's official." Kakashi smiled before turning his eye back to his book.

"Well, now that Naruto has been sufficiently reprimanded, I think it's time for Teams 7 and 8 to receive their first D ranked missions as Genin." Sarutobi glanced over to Jagaa, a small smirk coming to his lips. "I believe this will also be the first D ranked mission _you_ have ever taken part of as well, Jagaa-san."

"…Why don't I like the way you said that, Geezer?" Jagaa's tone was laced with suspicion.

To his side, Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai seemed to have all come to a realization. A realization that had Kurenai smiling wickedly, Anko snickering quietly, and Kakashi's visible eye dancing in anticipation as they watched Jagaa.

"All right then." Sarutobi smiled, the smirk that had been ghosting on his lips becoming more pronounced. He knew what was going to happen. It always did when new Genin received their first D ranked mission. The disbelief and shock they showed as their duties were given to them was something Jounin and Chuunin laughed about, since they knew the feeling all to well. However, the Sandaime knew that no one, and that was _no one_, would take it quite as hard as a certain pair of male blondes that now stood before him. The old man could barely keep himself from bursting out into sinister laughter that would have even made his old student, Orochimaru proud. It was this day he had waited for. For the last year, since being hit the first time by Naruto's _Oiroke no Jutsu_ and then to have Jagaa place such and embarrassing note on his back that very same night, this day, this moment, it was what he had dreamed about.

The day his revenge was completed.

"Here are your first missions." The old man stated professionally, making the Genin snap to attention and Jagaa turn his head a little to show he was listening. "Team 7, your mission today is to pull weeds for the Murasaki family, and Team 8 will be chopping wood for the newly wed Horikawa's." Once finished, Sarutobi leaned back in his chair to watch the show.

Kiba, Hinata, Sakura, and Ino all reacted like most new Genin did. Their faces became confused, as if waiting for someone to start laughing and saying it was a joke before giving them their real mission. As usual though, they soon realized that that _was_ their real mission and soon all four of them were wearing incredulous expressions mixed with a bit of outrage.

Sasuke? He was just plain furious. He couldn't believe he had been assigned to something as trivial as pulling weeds for his first official mission. How could he get stronger doing something so stupid? It was all he could do to keep his furious growl to low for the present Jounin to hear.

None of those reactions though, could compare to Naruto and Jagaa's.

At first, the two blondes were wearing the same confused expressions as the first four. However, instead of taking a shocked and outraged expression, theirs was becoming completely horrified. Naruto's eyes had gone ridiculously wide and his mouth had fallen open showing no signs of closing anytime soon, and, even though it was hard to tell with Jagaa due to his glasses, his expression was practically a mirror image of the younger boy's.

Anko burst out laughing at the sight, which drowned out the amused chuckling of Kakashi and the gleeful giggling of Kurenai whose amusement was solely due to how Jagaa, the current bane of her existence, was taking the news. Sarutobi had, thus far, managed to hold in his own laughter, but the evil smirk that had been playing at his lips the whole time had finally been revealed full force.

Having recovered from their own initial reactions, the Genin in the room turned to watch the two shocked blondes, Sasuke seeming to get almost as much pleasure out of their reaction as Kurenai and Sarutobi were receiving.

After some time of staring like wide eyed idiots, a strange, almost eerie calm seemed to come over both Jagaa and Naruto, making the onlookers a little nervous that the pair's minds may have snapped.

"So…" Jagaa finally broke the silence with a tranquil voice. "You're telling us…that D ranked missions in Konoha…are roughly equivalent to doing house hold chores?"

"And that _all_ D ranked missions are like that?" Naruto finished, his own voice dreamy, as if he where lost in his own world.

Sarutobi was frowned slightly in confusion before slowly nodding. This was definitely _not_ what he was expecting for their reaction. Screaming, arguing, and possible threats of violence, yes, that was anticipated. An almost frighteningly serene acceptance, that most certainly was_ not_.

Jagaa and Naruto paused, contemplating the Sandaime's answer. Finally, they looked to each other and something seemed to pass between them at which time they both nodded before suddenly pointing out the window behind the Hokage and shouting in perfect sync, "OH MY GOD! THERE ARE TWO WOMEN HAVING HOT AND WILD SEX ON THAT ROOFTOP ACROSS THE ROAD!"

Every head in the room snapped around to face the window with every male and showing signs of nosebleeds, while the women, with the exception of Anko who had a nosebleed of her own, where furious at the outrageous act. After about ten seconds of searching, the group collectively realized that there was nothing going on outside, meaning they had been lied to, and rounded on the two blondes, only to have their shouts of indignation die in their throats at the sight.

The space that the two blondes had occupied stood completely empty, the only sign of them ever been there being the groaning door as it slowly closed itself.

The assembled Ninja could only blink as they stared in a stunned stupor, the door finally shutting completely with a soft click.

X X X X X

"Don't waste any time!" Jagaa shouted urgently, shoving various cloths and weapons into his black duffle bag hap hazardously. "Only pack what you absolutely need!"

"Got it!" Naruto shouted back as he continued emptying the contents of his ramen cupboard into his own blue duffle bag.

Once he had finished filling his bag with whatever he had been able to conveniently carry, Jagaa rushed out of his room and grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket, dragging the boy our of the apartment despite the boy's cries that he still hadn't gotten all his ramen packed, only to be placated by Jagaa's yell that he'd buy him more later. No longer needing to be dragged, Naruto pulled himself free of Jagaa's grip and the two of them bolted out the door and into the street, only to skid to a stop when they found their paths blocked by three distinct Jounin. Namely Kurenai, Kakashi, and Anko.

"Going somewhere, Jagaa-san?" Kurenai asked in an overly sweet voice.

"Uh…" Jagaa floundered under the woman's narrowed eyes.

"Now, now, Naruto, you wouldn't be trying to leave would you?" Kakashi asked with a smile.

"Uh…" Naruto was as much at a loss as Jagaa was.

The two blondes exchanged a quick glance before each trying to bolt off in a different direction to escape. Unfortunately, having already seen the pair's willingness to flee, Kurenai and Kakashi were ready for the action and had already moved to intercept, which ended with Jagaa cursing in pain as Kurenai caught his left ear with a vice like grip and Naruto being held two feet off the ground with Kakashi gripping the back of his shirt and jacket.

"Hold it right there." Kurenai said, still using her sweet voice as she smirked widely, enjoying every second she was getting out of tormenting the scarred man. Hey, after all he had put her through in the short time she'd known him, she was perfectly entitled to it. "You lost the option to run yesterday, Jagaa-san. Remember, T, E, A, M, W, O, R, K."

"G,O,T,O,H,E,L,L!" Jagaa yelled as he struggled to free his throbbing ear. "I did _not_ sign on to do other people's fucking _chores_! I didn't _want_ to sign on _at all_!"

"NO! Don't make me do chores!" Naruto wailed and he swung back and forth off the ground trying to break Kakashi's grip on his cloths. "It's boring! I wanna do _real_ missions! I don't wanna do chores! I don't wanna! I don't wanna! I don't wanna! I don't wanna…" Naruto kept continued his chant with no signs of stopping as Kakashi simply smiled as he began walking back to the Hokage tower, his orange book held in front of him with one hand and a struggling Naruto in the other.

"Anko, if you would please put their belongings back in the apartment." Kurenai said to Anko who saluted smartly, a huge grin plastered on her face. Nodding to the other woman, Kurenai started down the street after Kakashi, dragging Jagaa behind her. "Let's go, Jagaa-san. We have missions to do as a _team_."

"Gah!" Jagaa shouted as he painfully followed in order to keep her from ripping his ear. "You bitch! I just know you're enjoying this! I hope you break nail! I hope your hair goes frizzy! I hope your makeup runs! I hope you wake up tomorrow with a huge zit! I hope…"

Anko couldn't hold back her laughter as she listened to Jagaa continuing to shout hopes for everything from premature aging to manicures gone wrong on the red eyed woman. Tossing the two bags into the middle of the living room, Anko locked the door and closed it behind her before jogging to catch up with the rest of the group, laughing the whole time.

X X X X X

"You should have seen it, Daddy. It was _so_ funny." Ino laughed as she told her parents about her day as they all sat around the dinner table. "He must have pouted for at least two hours, muttering about evil partners and half dead geezers. I think he may have even been considering making another run for it, but Kurenai threatened to castrate him if she had to drag him back _again_. I guess he believed she'd really do it because he stayed like a good boy." Ino snickered as she remembered the sullen pout her male sensei had worn through most of the mission.

"He got better towards the end though, and started telling me, and in a way Sasuke-kun, Sakura, and Kurenai-sensei, since they started listening too, more about his and Naruto's days on the road." Ino's were practically glowing as she continued to speak. "Seriously, Daddy, you wouldn't believe all the places they've been. They've been the hidden villages of Sand, Mist, Cloud, Rain, Grass, and even Waterfall. They've stayed in places all across the Elemental Countries and have even been to Snow Country as well as Rice Country. He even told us about some of the missions he _and_ Naruto have done for other villages while they were still freelance."

Ino pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You know, it's actually not really surprising they reacted the way they did when they heard what the D ranked missions were like here. According to Jagaa-sensei, most of the other villages don't even _have_ D rank. The Jounin sensei just train their Genin until they're strong enough for C rank before the team ever starts taking missions." Ino laughed at the memory of the horrified look on her two fellow blondes' faces. "I guess when you're used to the lowest mission you ever get being fighting bandits or escorting people across countries to their destinations, being told you were going to basically be doing chores for your missions _would_ be a bit of a shocker."

"I'll bet." Ino's father, a dark blonde man named Yamanaka Inoichi, laughed. "Still, the reason Konoha make's as good an income as it does is _because_ we take on D ranked missions." Inoichi smiled at Ino's agreeing nod.

"Yeah, we heard about that from Kurenai-sensei when she was yelling at Jagaa-sensei for calling the Murasaki family 'Lazy bastards who couldn't do their own fucking grunt work'." Ino giggled when her father snorted into his coffee at Jagaa's description.

"Ino," The girl's mother, a woman with hair the same platinum blonde as Ino, chided. "You shouldn't use language like that, even when you're quoting someone."

"Yes, Mom." Ino said apologetically.

Inoichi looked at his daughter thoughtfully, slowly chewing a bite of rice. "You know," He spoke up once he'd swallowed his food. "I must say I'm surprised to hear you talking about your male sensei so fondly. If I recall correctly, it was only yesterday that you came home in a furious rage over what he'd done to the Uchiha."

Ino blushed lightly as she remembered her rampage yesterday. It was a good thing her mother had been out at the time because she had been using some, rather colorful, choice of descriptions for her scarred sensei. "Well…yeah, I was pretty mad about it, but Sasuke was fine today, so I guess it really did look worse than it was. I think that's why I decided to do what you suggested. You know, try to get to know Jagaa-sensei a little better."

"Hmm, I see." Inoichi nodded. "So, it seems that he's not as bad as you thought."

Ino hesitated a bit before answering. "…No, he's just as bad as I thought." Inoichi's eyebrow quirked and Ino continued. "He's rude, delights in tormenting people, drinks too much, and tends to think all problems can be solved by killing whatever is causing it…and that's what I learned just by _listening_ to him." Ino paused again before smiling slightly. "But…He really cares about Naruto. That's something else you can tell just by listening to him."

"And also," Ino continued, pursing her lips. "It makes me wonder just what type of person _Naruto_ really is. I'm not saying that I think he might be a _bad_ person." She said defensively when she saw her father's eyes narrow. "I just have to wonder, what kind of person could earn so much loyalty…so much love, from someone like Jagaa-sensei? It makes me want to talk to him more. You know. Maybe find out for myself why Jagaa-sensei is so protective of his adopted Otouto."

Inoichi nodded, his expression showing he was in deep thought. Finally, he raised his eyes back to his daughter and smiled. "You know, I think that would be a good idea." The sound of breaking glass rang out in the kitchen, startling both Ino and her father. Looking to the source, Ino's gasped at the sight of her mother's rigid form as blood and liquid dripped off her hand that had once held the now shattered glass cup.

"Huh? Oh my." The woman stated shakily, apparently having come back to her senses. "I don't know what came over me. Excuse me. I'd better go take care of the bleeding."

"I'll help you, Dear." Inoichi said, his voice holding a barely noticeable edge that made Ino's eyes snap over to him, letting her see the briefest glimpse of what looked like a warning on her father's face.

The two adults got up from the table hurriedly and headed directly to the bathroom, leaving a confused Ino behind who could only manage to mutter to herself. "What in the world was that about?"

X X X X X

"So why are we looking for a weapons shop again?" Naruto asked as he and Jagaa walked through the crowded streets of Konoha's shopping district.

"I told you, I need a sharpening job done." Jagaa said with a bit of exasperation. "Since I haven't really done anything since we got here, I haven't been all that worried about it. But since I'm _technically_ on active duty now, I should start getting my shit back together." Jagaa paused and faced the sky. "Besides, I may want to kill myself after a few more of these D rank missions and it would be less painful if my sword is nice and sharp."

"You're not gonna kill yourself, Nii-san." Naruto chided. "If you did that you wouldn't be able to annoy people anymore."

"Damn. Good point." Jagaa conceded.

Naruto shook his head at his older brother and started to look around at the crowds of people. He saw a few people glance at him in disgust or anger before quickly looking away, but the open hostility wasn't as obvious anymore. Now that he thought about it, he had noticed this before, so he decided to ask Jagaa about it. "Hey, Nii-san," Naruto addressed the man, getting his attention. "I've started to notice that people are a lot nicer to me lately…or at least less mean. Is it because of you?"

"Hmm, I wonder?" Jagaa said, waiting until Naruto shrugged and looked away before waving up to an apparently empty roof top where two Inuzuka, and surprisingly an ANBU, popped into existence and waved back before disappearing again.

Though the action went unnoticed by Naruto, several of the shop owners and passing villagers _had_ witnessed the event, and many people who had been considering trying to start mistreating Naruto again suddenly had second thoughts.

Idly, Jagaa wondered what would happen if Naruto ever figured out he had Inuzuka following him practically everywhere he went, since there was no doubt it would lead to questions as to _why_ they were following him. Jagaa wasn't relishing in the idea of explaining some of the events that led up to the increased security. Not so much because he was worried _personally_ about telling Naruto, since Jagaa thought it would be funny to see the boy get uncomfortable whenever Tsume was around, but because the previously mentioned Inuzuka woman would probably skin Jagaa alive if word ever got out about that incident a year ago.

A slightly perverted grin made its way to Jagaa's face as he remembered his frolic with the current head of the Inuzuka clan. That had been one wild night.

"Nii-san, what are you thinking about?" Naruto asked his scarred brother, his voice laced with suspicion.

Jagaa quickly shook himself out of his thoughts. "Uh, nothing, nothing at all." Naruto's eyes narrowed and Jagaa knew he needed to distract the boy. Fortunately, it seemed Kami was on his side this time, because at that moment Jagaa noticed a sign with pictures of various weapons engraved on it hanging over a shop door. "Oh look, we found a weapons shop." Jagaa said quickly. "Let's go get my sword sharpened shall we." Without waiting for Naruto to respond, Jagaa power walked to the building making Naruto have to jog to keep up.

A bell chimed as the door of the weapons shop opened, marking the arrival of the two blondes and drawing the attention of the young girl behind the counter who looked up from the book she was reading to smile at them. "Welcome to our shop. How can I…Hey, it's you!" The girl stood up, dropping her book as she leaned over the counter with one hand bracing her as the other pointed straight at Naruto. "What are you doing here, Chibi?"

Naruto snapped his head over to the girl and his eyes widened when he saw how her brown hair was pulled up into two buns on top of her head, something he had only ever seen on one person before. "Ah," He yelled returning her point with his own, "You're that weapons girl from a few days ago! Why are you here?"

Tenten smiled and hopped over the counter so she could approach them. "This is my family's weapon shop." Indicating the assorted weapons with a wave of her arm, "I'm just helping out today since my team finished our missions early." She faced the pair again, namely Naruto, and grinned at him. "I have to admit, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon, Chibi. Did you come here so you could lose in another weapons throwing contest?"

"First off, stop calling me Chibi!" Naruto growled. "Second, I'm here because my brother," Naruto jerked his thumb at Jagaa, "was looking for a weapons shop so he could get his sword sharpened. And lastly, don't think that just because you beat me last time means you'll beat me next time. Because I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Am I _ever_ gonna be able to break you of that habit?" Jagaa asked almost mournfully.

"Probably not." Naruto answered with a grin.

Jagaa just shook his head before focusing on Tenten. "So, exactly who are you, and how do you know the Brat." Naruto glared at the man for the insult.

Tenten laughed before giving introducing herself. "My name is Tenten, and I met the Chibi a couple nights ago at the training grounds when I was practicing after my team separated for the day and we ended up getting into a weapons throwing contest. A contest that I won of course." Tenten smirked victoriously at the less than pleased Naruto.

"…You said your name was Tenten?" Jagaa asked the girl, crossing one arm in front of him and using the other to rub his chin in thought. '_Tenten…Tenten…where have I heard that name before?_'

"So anyway," Tenten spoke up, pulling Jagaa out of his thoughts. "Chibi said you wanted to get your sword sharpened, right?"

"Stop calling me Chibi!" Naruto grated out.

Ignoring his irate brother Jagaa nodded and drew his sword, holding it out hilt first to the girl. "Yeah, it's been about a year and half since the last time I got it sharpened, granted it didn't get much use in a year of that time, but that's still a long time between sharpening."

"Yeah." Tenten agreed, examining the blade with a critical eye. "It doesn't look too bad though. I think Daddy could have it done by tomorrow morning, afternoon at the latest."

"I'm willing to pay extra if it will get me a guarantee that I can pick it up before I meet my team for missions tomorrow." Jagaa offered.

The girl smiled confidently at the scarred man. "I don't think Daddy will have a problem with that. Now if you'll follow me." Tenten turned and started walking back to the counter with Jagaa's sword in hand and the two blondes trailing after her. "Hey, Mom!" The girl called out, "We've got a sharpening job!"

"Coming." A voice called back followed moments later by a woman with long brown hair and deep green eyes coming through a door that led to a room behind the counter. "Who is it that needs the sharpen…ing…" The woman's voice trailed off and her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the scarred man on the other side of the counter. "Jagaa-kun, is that you?"

Jagaa's brow furrowed when the woman addressed him, but that quickly changed to his eyebrows shooting up and his mouth falling open in surprise. "Tsuki-nee-chan!?"

With a delighted squeal, the woman hurried around the counter and pulled Jagaa into a tight hug that the scarred man eagerly returned. Pulling back, the woman looked up to Jagaa who stood a full head taller than her and smiled happily. "Look at you. You've gotten so tall. I would never have recognized you if it weren't for your sunglasses and clothing."

Jagaa shrugged. "What can I say? I tend to stick with what I like." Smiling wider, Jagaa gave the woman a once over. "Besides, look whose talking. You haven't changed a bit. In fact, I was even considering making a pass at you." Jagaa wagged his eyebrows at the woman who responded with a playful punch to his chest.

"Knock that off you big flirt. Don't forget I'm eight years older than you _and_ already married." Tsuki's eyes lit up in realization. "Oh, that's right!" Turning away from Jagaa, the brunette called out excitedly. "Kyougu! Get out here! You're never going to believe who's here!"

"Huh? Who is it?" A deep male voice called back before the door opened behind the counter opened again to reveal a man with black hair and chocolate brown eyes that widened the same way his wife's had once they caught sight of the scarred man on the other side of the counter. "Well I'll be damned, if it isn't the little boy who escorted us to Konoha all those years ago looking all grown up and filled out!" Walking around the counter the man caught Jagaa in solid hand shake before pulling him into a quick hug and patting him on the back. "It's great to see you again kid!"

"Likewise, Old Man." Jagaa smiled, returning pat on the back before pulling away. "I gotta admit though, I never thought you two would still be in Konoha. Whatever happened to that whole speech you gave me about 'Being one with the wind' and 'Never settling down until you were dead' and all that other crap you were spouting when you were wandering from town to town as a traveling weapons merchant?"

By now, the two forgotten teens looked from the three happily conversing adults to each other, pure confusion in each of their eyes, neither of them having expected something like this to happen. Turning back to the adults, Naruto tried to get their attention. "Uh, hey." He called a bit uncertainly.

None of them heard since Kyougu was already answering the younger man. "Well, we hadn't planned on staying here more than a year or so, but we ended up doing so well that we kept putting it off. Soon enough, one year became two, then two became three, and before we knew it we had pretty much settled down."

"Hey." This time Tenten tried calling out ending with the same results as Naruto.

"Besides," Tsuki spoke up, "I think we started to realize that constantly traveling wasn't a good way for a child to grow up, and by the time we were thinking of leaving again, Tenten had already made friends and it would've broken her heart to have to leave them behind. So we decided to just stay here."

"Hey!" Naruto and Tenten tried at the same time with more force than their previous attempts, only to still be ignored.

"I guess that's understandable." Jagaa conceded. "It's still surprising though, especially with the old man. I thought nothing would be able to stop his wandering."

"Hey, I'm only thirty five, certainly _not_ an old man!" Kyougu argued.

"Thirteen years older than me, five years older than your wife." Jagaa countered with a smirk, "Face it, you're old."

"Why you…" Kyougu started, only to be cut off by two very irritated teens.

"HEY!" Naruto and Tenten shouted, finally having had enough of being ignored. The three adults turned to them in surprise, and Naruto stepped forward and pointed at Jagaa. "Would you _please_ explain what the hell is going on? Who are these people and how do you three know each other?"

"Uh, oh, right, sorry, Naruto. I forgot you weren't with me when I met them." Jagaa admitted sheepishly. "Well this old guy is Kazeyama Kyougu," Kyougu gave Jagaa a mock glare before giving Naruto a quick nod in greeting. "And this," Jagaa continued, shifting his hand to Tsuki, "Is his extremely beautiful and way too good for him wife, Kazeyama Tsuki." The woman blushed prettily and gave Naruto a short wave. "I met them both about ten years ago when I hired myself out as a bodyguard to escort them from a small town in Wave country to Konoha."

"Ten _years_ ago!" Tenten exclaimed, "Just how old are you?"

"I'm twenty two." Jagaa answered easily.

Even Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and Tenten openly gaped at the scarred man. "But…that would mean you were only _twelve_! That's younger than I am now!"

"Yeah, it was quite a surprise for us too." Kyougu laughed. "I mean, there we are getting ready to leave, when this twelve year old kid wearing a sword almost as big as him on his back comes up and offers to be our bodyguard for a third of the cost it would have taken to hire a normal escort." Kyougu laughed lightly at the memory. "To be honest, I probably would have turned him down if it weren't for the fact I had heard a rumor of a young kid matching his description that had just claimed the bounty of a group of local bandits that had been attacking travelers. So I decided it was worth a shot."

"It was a good thing he did to." Tsuki added solemnly. "Because less than half way through the trip we were attacked by thieves, but Jagaa-kun beat all six of them and kept us safe."

Naruto and Tenten looked at Jagaa with wide eyes, who shrugged at them. "It's not like they were all that skilled. Just normal highway robbers." Leaning down, Jagaa put his face level with Tenten's and smiled at her. "What surprises me is how big you've gotten, Ten-chan. It seems like only a few weeks ago you were just a three year old girl who kept bugging me to play with her and give her piggyback rides." Tenten blushed at that even as she tried to remember having done what he just said.

"I'm surprised you don't remember him at least a little bit, Ten-chan." Tsuki smiled at her daughter. "You were very attached to Jagaa-kun by the time we got to Konoha. So much so that you cried for days after we separated." Tsuki smiled fondly as she reminisced. "You two were so cute together. It was like you were brother and sister."

Tenten was still trying to remember when any of this had happened, but was pulled out of her thoughts when Naruto started snickering audibly, despite his best efforts to silence it, and kept casting sidelong glances at her.

"What?" Tenten questioned in annoyance after the fifth not so discreet glance.

"Would you like _me_ to give you a piggyback ride, _Ten-chan_?" Naruto smirked at the bun haired girl.

Tenten reddened even more, but still managed to raise her chin and glare at Naruto. "Oh, do you think a little boy like you could actually carry me, Naru-_chibi_?"

Their eyes looked as the two stared hard into each other's eyes making sparks sizzle through the air. "Throw down?" Naruto asked challengingly.

"Throw down." Tenten agreed before turning to her father. "Were going to go out back and use the Kunai targets."

"Okay, just don't go overboard." Kyougu warned. "The neighbors still haven't forgiven us for all the holes you put into their wall when you were younger."

Tenten simply nodded before turning back to Naruto. "Follow me, Chibi."

"Lead the way, Bun-chan." Naruto smirked, falling in step behind the girl.

Jagaa, Kyougu, and Tsuki watched the pair leave. Once the pair had disappeared around a corner, Jagaa smirked amusedly. "Her mother's beauty and her father's personality. I think you created a monster."

"Maybe, but we wouldn't have her any other way." Kyougu smiled. "Now, why don't I throw the 'Out to Lunch' sign up, and the three of us can go upstairs and get back to catching up."

X X X X X

Naruto was very quickly remembering what it was that had impressed him about this bun haired girl as she hit several more targets dead in the center.

She was _really_ freaking good at this.

It was a point that was being driven home, once again, very effectively as Naruto found himself being outclassed in every way possible when it came to weapons throwing. Gritting his teeth, Naruto threw his next set of Kunai only to have to resist screaming in frustration when he didn't score nearly as good as she had.

"What's the matter, Chibi?" Tenten mocked playfully. "Not giving up already are you?"

Naruto gave her a hard look. "I'm pretty sure I already told you. Uzumaki Naruto _never_ gives up."

"You just make tactical retreats, right?" Tenten finished, casually putting another kunai into the bull's-eye. "To bad you'll never be able to beat me."

"Just keep talking, Bun-chan." Naruto shot back. "I'll make you eat those words soon enough."

Tenten smirked at the sunny blonde as she twirled a kunai around her finger. "Sounds like your ready for another round of defeat."

"Bring it on." Naruto challenged back. Unfortunately, despite his confident bolstering, Naruto was being faced with the reality that, as he was now, he really _didn't_ have any chance of beating her.

At least not while playing fair.

'_What is that Nii-san likes to say? If you aren't cheating you aren't trying.'_ Naruto smirked lightly as he watched the girl on his left preparing for her next throws through the corner of his eye, mainly focusing on her side, just above her waist where he knew girls tended to be ticklish.

His plan was simple. He'd wait until the girl was just about to throw her weapon then give her a quick poke in the side to throw off her aim when her body naturally shied away from the tickle. Doing his best to hide his mischievous smile, Naruto kept his eyes focused ahead so as not to give away his plan, relying on his peripheral vision to let him know when to strike. Catching the movement showing she was preparing to throw, Naruto quickly shot out his hand at his intended target.

Unfortunately, because he had been keeping his eyes forward as to not give away his intentions, Naruto didn't notice that his aim had shifted down and to the left.

Tenten cried out in surprise and leapt away from the boy, her face flaming and her hands held protectively over her rump. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU PERVERT!" She screamed.

"Jeez, calm down. All I did was poke you in the side to throw you off." Naruto defended himself, not sure why the girl was reacting so fiercely. "You don't need to get so mad about it."

"THAT WASN'T MY SIDE YOU CREEP!" Tenten screamed again, her anger rising drastically.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about? If it wasn't your side then where was…" Naruto trailed off as he finally took into account her embarrassed flush and just _where_ her hands seemed to be so intently shielding. Realization dawning on his features, he slowly raised up his left hand to stare at his index finger, and a small trickle of blood came out of his nose.

Needless to say, _that_ didn't go over well with the already furious brunette.

Whipping out a scroll, Tenten bit her thumb and drew her blood across the contents, summoning _very_ sharp Katana. With a war cry filled with Righteous Female Fury, the bun haired girl charged the sunny-blonde with every intention of neutering him.

Awakened from his daze by the spine chilling cry, Naruto saw Tenten baring down on him with death in her eyes and a Katana in her hands and did what any smart male would do in that situation. He let off a terrified feminine scream and started running for his life, shouting out apologies and begging for forgiveness as he ducked and dodged the girl's furious attempts to skin him alive.

X X X X X

"She overreacts like her mother though." Jagaa commented, grinning through the open window as he watched Naruto's desperate attempts to placate the furious girl as he continued to dodge her relentless assault.

"That's just a female thing in general." Kyougu replied, which promptly earned him a whack upside the head by his wife. "See what I mean." He grinned at the woman as he rubbed his head.

Jagaa laughed at the display, but once finished he his smile changed into a small frown. "You seem to be reacting to Naruto pretty well. Does that mean the idiocy of this village didn't manage to rub off on you?"

Kyougu shrugged. "We moved here after the Kyuubi attack, so we don't have any grudges against the demon itself, so we don't hold anything against the boy either."

"Besides," Tsuki said as she poured some tea she had made for the three of them. "If _you_ care about him, then he gets _our_ trust by default. I thought you would at least know that." Looking up, the green eyed woman smiled at him earning a return smile from Jagaa.

"I guess I should have at least expected that much from the two who people who wanted to adopt me." Jagaa laughed. "I still don't know what you were thinking though. I mean the two of you might be able to pass as my siblings, but I think you're a bit too young to be my parents. That includes the old man over there." Jagaa smirked as he caught the towel Kyougu threw at him.

"What can I say," Tsuki sighed. "You really were just like a brother to Ten-chan during that month we traveled together. I just thought it would be great if you could have stayed around and really _been_ her brother."

"Maybe if you'd tried asking me to be her uncle or something I would have been more inclined to accept, but calling you two Mom and Dad would have just been weird, Tsuki-_nee-chan_." Jagaa smirked at the woman who just shook her head with a laugh.

"My question," Kyougu spoke up curiously, "Is what _you're_ doing in Konoha. You were even more adamant than I was about not staying in one place for very long. What changed your mind?"

Jagaa shrugged. "I got the brat to blame for that. I made the mistake of getting too attached to him while we were traveling together." He turned to face back out the window again, watching Naruto still trying to calm the raging Tenten down. "Naruto didn't have anybody who was there for him as he was growing up. I didn't want to make him go through the pain of being alone again just because I didn't want to be here. I'm not _that_ much of a bastard."

"Don't talk like that!" Tsuki chastised. "You're a wonderful person. Both Kyougu and I know that. If you were really as bad as you try to make people believe, Ten-chan wouldn't have had you wrapped around your finger the way she did when you traveled with us."

"She's right you know." Kyougu added. "To be honest, I was starting to think you were just a normal twelve year old boy with how well you got along with our daughter. Hell, if those thieves hadn't attacked us, I never would have believed you were really as tough as you claimed to be."

Jagaa shrugged again. "You'd be surprised by how often that happens in the Ninja world. All over the Elemental Nations you'll hear tales of talented Shinobi and Kunoichi who had incredible skills at a very young age. I was just lucky enough to be one of them. That's all. Also, your daughter was a sweet three year old. It was easy to like her." Jagaa gave the couple a smirk. "You shouldn't let that fool you though. I can be quite the pain in the ass. Just ask my partner."

Kyougu and Tsuki just laughed.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Jagaa's suddenly shouted, startling Kyougu and Tsuki who watched as Jagaa leaned out the window for a second before digging through his Kunai pouch shouting, "CAMERA! CAMERA! WHERE'S MY CAMERA!" His face lit up as he pulled the small rectangular device out and held it front of him, laughing triumphantly before blurring out of the room so fast that papers were sent flying through the air.

"…What was that all about?" Kyougu asked in a bit of shock. Tsuki shook her head to show that she didn't have the slightest clue.

X X X X X

_(Back with Naruto and Tenten, a few minutes before Jagaa's sudden need for his camera.)_

Naruto was dodging slashes and stabs with everything he had, the furious girl doing the slashing showing no signs of stopping any time soon. He was glad that Tenten seemed to favor distance attacks and wasn't quite as skilled with melee weapons as she was with throwing weapons. That didn't mean she didn't know what she was doing though as she slashed, lunged, and stabbed with the weapon in her attempts to severely injure him.

'_I'm starting to see why even Nii-san will run from a girl when she's _really_ mad._' Naruto thought nervously as he ducked the whistling blade. '_They're even more scary than Fangirls._'

"Hold still so I can kill you!" Tenten yelled as she slashed for Naruto's torso, her frustration rising with every missed attack.

"I'm not _that_ dumb!" Naruto shouted back, dodging back so the blade passed harmlessly in front of him.

Tenten was going after Naruto with everything she had, fully intent on making the blonde pay for poking her in her ass, accident or not. Her swings were becoming increasingly aggressive as she tried and failed again and again to at least draw blood from the sun kissed boy, only to have him duck and dodge out the way with practiced and desperate precision. Gritting her teeth, Tenten renewed her assault full force.

Naruto quickly found himself having to put a good deal more effort into his dodging if he didn't want to get skewered. Unfortunately, because his attention on the bun haired brunette had increased, his attention to his surroundings decreased, so he didn't see the large rock that he was quickly backing towards until he stepped half on it and lost his footing. Seeing her chance, Tenten leapt forward with a victorious shout, her blade already descending upon the boy. In a desperate attempt at self preservation, Naruto's left hand shot out and managed to catch the girl's wrist and, with a quick twist of his own wrist, managed to get her to drop the Katana. However, that movement also served to pull Tenten towards him, sending both of them rolling across the ground in a mass of flying limbs before they finally came to a stop.

A stop that ended up with Naruto and Tenten in a rather awkward position.

Naruto's left hand was still holding on to Tenten's right wrist, pinning it to the ground above her head as Naruto's own right hand had ended up between the girls left arm and her body, dangerously close to her chest. Naruto's right leg had come to rest between the girl's thighs in a very intimate fashion, leaving his left leg as the only thing really keeping their pelvises apart from each other. Tenten's hair had become a bit loose from her exertion, causing small strands to fall from their tight buns and hap hazardously frame her flushed face in a messy, but alluring way. Electric blue met chocolate brown as the two breathed heavily, and for some reason, neither could find the willpower to break that gaze.

Naruto knew he should jump away from the girl as quickly as possible and start apologizing profusely in order to try to avoid the beating he was sure this situation was going to get him, but for some reason he couldn't. It was as if her brown eyes had somehow captured him, holding him in place and giving him the sensation he was falling into them. He couldn't explain what it was that was happening, but somewhere deep inside him, he felt a stirring of something he couldn't understand.

Shaking his head to clear his confused thoughts, Naruto refocused on the girl below him. "Are you all right?" He asked her, his voice for some reason coming out much quieter than he had intended. Her eyes still never leaving his, Tenten nodded slowly in response.

Before either of them could say anything else, a series of flashes snapped them out of their trance like state and they looked over to see Jagaa snapping pictures as fast as he could, leaning this way and that in his attempts to get multiple angles.

"Finally!" He yelled joyously. "Just when I'm starting to think the brat will never take and interest in girls, here he is ravaging one in the backyard of her own home!" Tracing just underneath the lens of his sunglasses, Jagaa wiped away a mock tear. "I'm so proud!"

"Gah, Nii-san!" Naruto jumped up and pointed at the man indignantly. "Just what are you trying to say? I wasn't ravaging her! We just fell and ended up like that!"

"That may be true." Jagaa conceded, only to smirk and raise his camera. "But once these pictures get out, you'll have a hard time proving that."

Naruto's features turned dark as he glared at his brother. "Nii-san…Give me that camera."

Jagaa's smirk became challenging and he tossed the camera into the air a couple times, his gaze never leaving Naruto. "Make me."

Naruto's hands snapped into a cross shaped seal and his chakra spiked as he shouted. "_TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!_" Smoke filled the air before dissipating to reveal a thousand Naruto's all glaring at Jagaa with near murderous intensity.

Jagaa whistled lowly as he took in the scene before him. "That's a lot of brats." He mumbled to himself.

Taking a step forward the real Naruto shouted a single order to his army of clones. "GET THAT CAMERA!"

"YOSH!" A thousand identical voices responded as every one of them charged.

Sitting forgotten on the grass behind them, Tenten watched the thousand Naruto's chase after the maniacally laughing Jagaa who was waving the camera and taunting his horde of blonde pursuers as she tried to make sense of everything that had just happened.

X X X X X

Sarutobi's eye was twitching slightly as he looked up from the document in his hand to the two teams that were responsible for the complaints, or rather, the blonde males on each team, and started reciting the list of transgressions over the two weeks since Teams 7 and 8 had started taking missions.

"Taking bribes to allow peeking at the _Onsen_ you were hired to guard."

Jagaa shrugged. "I was a little short on cash, and they were paying well." Sarutobi grit his teeth and continued.

"Planting weeds in flower gardens to encourage growth through 'Healthy Competition'.

"What?" Naruto's tone was defensive, "It could work."

The old man's eye twitched again. "Buying nothing but Sake on a grocery shopping mission."

"…That was Naruto." Jagaa stated, pointing to the younger blonde.

"Nu uh! I bought nothing but _ramen_ on my shopping mission." Naruto argued.

"Oh, right. The Sake thing _was_ me." Jagaa amended.

More twitches. "Teaching the children you were babysitting to ask random women for Lap Dances."

"The look on Princess's face made it well worth the effort." Jagaa smirked earning very dangerous glare from Kurenai.

"Force feeding a chef that you were supposed to be helping a bowl of ramen when he claimed it wasn't real food."

"Never, insult, the ramen." Naruto growled.

Several more twitches. "Challenging the goats at the local Petting Zoo to a 'Duel of Honor'."

"Okay, so I may have had a _little_ too much to drink before that mission." Jagaa admitted, holding his thumb and index finger a few millimeters apart to emphasis 'Little'. Kurenai, Sasuke, and Sakura all nodded their agreement. Ino just giggled hers.

"Giving a speech to the birds at the village Aviary to 'Rise up against the oppressors'."

"…Can I use the drinking excuse to?" Naruto asked.

The old man rubbed his temples before continuing from memory. "Stuffing the Daiyamo's wife's cat into a burlap sack and spinning it over your head for thirty minutes straight, causing it to vomit several times."

"In my defense…Ino came up with the 'Spin the Kitty' song." Jagaa replied.

"Spin the Kitty round and round, till it doesn't make a sound. Spin the Kitty overhead, keep on spinning till it's dead." Ino started chanting softly with an evil smile.

Sarutobi continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Trying to cook the Daiyamo's wife's cat on a spit while doing a war dance around the fire."

"It's not like I actually _got_ to cook it." Naruto muttered. "Kakashi-sensei stopped me."

"Uh, I actually gathered the wood for that. So Naruto's not completely at fault." Kiba admitted.

"And I was the one who provided the matches." Hinata confessed.

"Why can't we have teamwork like that?" Jagaa asked Kurenai and a vein popped up on the woman's forehead.

"I'd be happy to bring matches next time, Jagaa-sensei." Ino chirped.

"You'll do no such thing!" Kurenai snapped.

"Yeah, come up with your own way to kill the cat!" Naruto added. "We've already got dibs on cooking it!"

"Quiet down! All of you!" Sarutobi commanded, waiting for them to comply before redirecting his gaze on Jagaa and Naruto. "Now, after hearing this rather large list of digressions, tell me. Is there even one mission that you two have been on that you haven't tried, or managed, to sabotage in some way?" After a moment of silence the old man grew impatient. "Well?"

"Come on, Jiji. You can't ask us a difficult question like that and not give us some time to think." Naruto argued and Jagaa solemnly nodded his agreement.

The aged Hokage leaned back in his chair and covered his face with his hands. "Even the enjoyment I got from seeing your first reactions to hearing about D rank missions isn't enough of a buffer for this."

"You should take up drinking." Jagaa suggested helpfully. "It's done wonders for me."

"Yes, we've all seen what it's done for you." Kurenai said in a half growl that made Jagaa smile.

"CHANCE!" Naruto cried out and took a dive at Jagaa, only to end up spread eagle on the ground on the opposite side of him when the man casually flipped the boy over his head.

Jagaa turned to face Naruto, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "Well, I'll give you points for effort, but you also loose them for screaming out your intentions before attacking."

Naruto rolled himself over and shook his head. "Grr, I almost got it that time."

"You have a strange definition of 'almost'." Jagaa said in an amused voice. "If you keep this up, you'll never be able to get it from me. Don't forget, you've also got competition."

"Don't even _think_ about letting that crazy lady get her hands on that!" Naruto yelled.

By now, everyone in the room had their full attention on the pair of blondes as they tried to figure out what was going on until Ino decided to find out the more direct way. "What's Naruto trying to take from you, Jagaa-sensei?"

Still smirking, Jagaa reached into his Kunai pouch and pulled out his camera and showed it to Ino. On the top of it, she saw some words scratched into the plastic and read them out loud. "Naruto and Tenten Love-Love Pictures?"

"NO! Not Love-Love!" Naruto yelled vehemently. "There was no Love-Love going on! We just tripped and ended up that way!"

"Jagaa, just what is on that camera?" Kurenai asked.

"Oh, just some pictures of Naruto in a rather compromising position with a girl named Tenten." Jagaa smiled, almost managing to make it look innocent.

"WE JUST TRIPPED!" Naruto shouted again.

This time it was Sakura who spoke up, her interest having been peeked. "Jagaa-sensei, what did you mean when you said Naruto had competition?"

"Well, I kind of let it slip to Anko that I had gotten some compromising pictures of Naruto, and now she's trying to get them so she can force him to give her his virginity in exchange for not posting them all over town." Kurenai groaned at the news but Jagaa wasn't done yet. "She even said she'd edit the pictures so that it would look like Naruto and Tenten were naked if he still wasn't willing to comply."

"I didn't think Anko was that desperate to get Naruto." Kakashi said as he turned a page in his book.

"I think she just enjoys the challenge." Jagaa shrugged.

Sarutobi cleared his throat loudly to get their attention again. "If we could get back to the matter at hand, you two," He looked pointedly at Naruto and Jagaa, "are supposed to be getting reprimanded."

Naruto's expression became confused as he turned to Jagaa. "What does 'Reprimanded' mean?"

"It means he talks to us sternly…and we ignore him." Jagaa replied.

"Oh, okay then. I can do that."

There was a loud thump as Sarutobi's forehead smacked into his desk. "I'm too old for this."

"Admitting you have a problem is the first step towards recovery." Jagaa offered sagely.

"Forget the reprimand. Somehow I know it wouldn't do any good anyways." Sarutobi sighed dejectedly, pulling his head off his desk and leaning back in his chair so he wouldn't have to see the victory smiles the two blondes were wearing. '_So much for vengeance through D rank missions. Maybe I'm thinking too small…or too much like a Hokage. Hmm...I'll just have to do something so they'll cause less trouble until I can come up with something better. I suppose for now I could start giving them C rank missions. At the very least, it will get them out of the village for a while._' Passing a hand in front of his eyes in resignation, Sarutobi sat forward again in his chair. "All right, I'm just going to start assigning you C rank missions. Maybe that will calm you both down enough to stop making my life so difficult." Ignoring Jagaa's cough that sound suspiciously like 'Not likely', he reached over to his stack of missions and started shuffling through them when one slipped out of the stack and settled on his desk.

Picking up the rouge piece of paper, Sarutobi frowned once he'd looked it over. '_This_ _is a B rank. How did it get in the C rank pile?_' He was about to put it back in the proper pile, but stopped when the details of the request caught his eye. It looked like the ranking wasn't so much because of the danger, but because of the man power requested. The mission was to escort a large convoy of wagons carrying bridge building supplies from Konoha to a village in Wave Country. It had been ranked B due to the fact the convoy leader was requesting at least four Jounin to provide security, even though the danger level was only around a higher priority C rank.

Sarutobi glanced over the top of his paper at the two teams, his eyes narrowed slightly in thought as they examined the three Jounin. Kakashi, despite his need to constantly read his book, was easily one of the most powerful Jounin in Konoha and well known even through the other hidden villages. Kurenai, though inexperienced compared to her colleges, had risen through the ranks at an admirable rate with her unparalleled prowess in _Genjutsu_. Then, there was Jagaa. Though there was still a great deal about him that was unknown, other than his love of irritating everyone around him, Kakashi had already claimed that the scarred man was at least as strong as Kakashi himself. Between the three of them, Sarutobi was certain that they easily carried enough combat power to count as at least five average Jounin.

Then there was their students.

Kakashi's report on his teams test stated quite clearly that he was certain that all three of them could be low Chuunin level, possibly mid Chuunin depending on how much they had been holding in reserve like proper Shinobi would, and had displayed a level of teamwork it usually took months of working together to form, something Sarutobi had been hoping for when he formed the team. The only thing the three of them really lacked was experience, something that a mission like this would be perfect for gaining.

Shifting over to the remaining Genin, Sarutobi had to pause as the first doubts of sending them on the mission entered his mind. According to the verbal report Jagaa and Kurenai had given after their own test, which was the only thing the two of them had agreed on to date as far as Sarutobi knew, Team 7 should, and would, have been sent back to the academy, had they had the option, for their terrible performance. Sasuke in particular, despite his current skills and obvious potential, was still completely ignoring the importance of teamwork. Even after two weeks of missions, the team had shown little improvement, according to Kurenai's reports. Sakura and Ino still fought constantly over Sasuke, usually resulting in the missions taking far longer than was necessary, and Sasuke still treated his teammates like they weren't worth his time. In fact, the only sort of cohesion in the group at all, was the strangely friendly relationship Ino and Jagaa seemed to have formed somehow.

Sarutobi frowned behind the paper as another thought crossed his mind. If he recalled correctly, the six Genin before him had been something close to split factions in the academy with Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata always butting heads with Sasuke, Ino, and Sakura. Putting the six of them on the same mission would be like throwing a Cobra and a Mongoose in the same cage.

'_Still, there are times when you have to work with people you wouldn't usually get along with in order to accomplish the mission._' The old man mused. '_And it would be better for them all to learn that during a relatively safe mission, as opposed to a highly dangerous one. It may even be good for all of them._' Nodding to himself, the old man made up his mind.

Taking a breath, the old man spoke authoritatively. "Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, and…Jagaa," Sarutobi paused for a moment when he realized that Jagaa had never actually given a clan name, but pushed it from his mind for now. "I have decided that your teams will conduct a joint escort mission. You will be guarding a convoy of wagons carrying bridge building supplies from Konoha to a village in Wave country. Due to the manpower requested, this mission is B rank, but the danger level shouldn't be above a C rank, therefore I feel that this would be an excellent mission for both teams." He looked over to each of the three Jounin in turn. "Are there any questions?"

Kakashi and Kurenai shook their heads in the negative, but Jagaa spoke up. "Did you say the mission was to Wave country?" At Sarutobi's nod, Jagaa's voice dropped. "I see."

"Is that a problem?" The Sandaime asked.

"Hmm? Oh, no. No problem. I was just making sure old age hadn't messed up your mind to the point you couldn't keep your countries straight. That's all." Jagaa grinned impudently at the old man as he finished.

Sarutobi shook his head before speaking again. "Why don't I just introduce you all to the leader of the convoy?" Raising his voice, he called out to the unknown person. "You may come in now!"

The door behind them slid open, and an old man carrying a bottle of Sake and wearing a strange straw hat, a disheveled grey shirt, and some loose tan shorts walked into the room. "Are these the people who are supposed to guard my supplies?" The old man asked giving the nine Ninja a once over. "Most of them are just kids. I thought I asked for at least four Jounin? Not a bunch of wet behind the ears Genin."

"I assure you, these two teams are quite capable." Sarutobi responded easily. "You wanted four Jounin, but with these individuals, I could say that you have the combat power of five or six Jounin."

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted, grinning at the client. "Not to mention we have Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, and all us Genin too. So there's probably more like _ten_ Jounin!"

"Nice attempt at flattery, Naruto, but I'm still not giving you the camera." Jagaa deadpanned.

Naruto snapped his fingers in disappointment.

"Well, whatever." The elderly client shrugged before taking a swig of Sake and wiping his mouth. "As long as I get the protection I'm paying for, I don't care." Looking to each of the assembled Ninja in turn, "My name is Tazuna, bridge building extraordinaire, and you all will be responsible for protecting my life and the lives of my workers." The assembled Ninja all nodded in understanding.

Sarutobi gave his own small nod before speaking again. "The convoy, as directed by Tazuna-san, will be leaving tomorrow at 7a.m., so use tonight to pack whatever you may need for the trip and get a good night's sleep. You are dismissed until then."

"Nii-san, I need a sealing scroll." Naruto pleaded, turning to his brother.

Jagaa heaved a small sigh and reached into his pouch. "All right, but you're only allowed to take ten. That's it."

"Only _ten_!" Naruto cried. "That's not even enough to last me a_ day_!"

"Then I guess you'll have to eat something other than ramen the rest of the trip." Jagaa replied unsympathetically. "It'll be good for you. Oh, and if I find out that you brought more than ten, you _will_ regret it."

Naruto looked away from Jagaa as he pouted.

"Well, see you all later." Jagaa said with a wave over his over his shoulder as he started walking to the door. "I'm gonna go out for some drinks." As the others gave various responses ranging from complete ignoring to cheery waves, Naruto's eyes narrowed and he slowly started stalking forward and lunged just a Jagaa opened the door.

"CHANCE/CHANCE!"

There was a loud crash as blonde and purple blurs collided, leaving both Naruto and Anko lying on the floor with swirls in their eyes after colliding in their dual attempt to get the camera from Jagaa, who had simply turned to the side and let physics take its course.

"Keep trying you two." Jagaa laughed as he walked past the two dazed Ninja.

It would be as he was walking out the front door of the tower that Jagaa would hear an excited shout of "Naru-chan" that would quickly be followed by a girlish scream and the shattering of glass as Naruto jumped through a closed window to escape.

**A/N:** See, (huff), I told you, (pant, pant), that it was, (gasp), kind of random, (pant, huff, deep breath and slow exhale). Well, I hope you liked it anyways despite the fact I think my muse was a bit tipsy (takes a quick look around to see if she has found him again yet since she still has her gun). At the very least it set up the next chapter for the wave arc I guess. I'll tell you now that I don't plan on making the arc any more than two chapters, so the chaps could be kinda long depending on how much I put into them. Well just have to see. (The sound of a round being chambered echoes through the room)

Oh shit! She's back! I gotta hide! Review so I can show her proof that she needs to quit drinking, and hopefully I'll survive to update again. (Several shots wiz by) Gaaahhh! Quit shooting at me, damn it! (Another frantic pounding of feet and the sound of more shots fired fill the air.)


	10. The Will to Fight

**A/N:** Well, first off I want to say that you're all traitors for siding with my murderous muse. I swear, she hasn't stopped smirking the entire time we were working on this new chapter since the last one, the one I thought people wouldn't think much of, got the most reviews of all chaps to date. Needless to say, she's _sickeningly_ pleased with herself. Of course, she had also been pretty upset that she couldn't hit me with any of her shots last time, so she went out a bought a friggin _shotgun_ to increase her chances of hitting me by widening her range. Seriously, why can't I have one of those cute, sweet, encouraging muses instead of this smug, homicidal, gut toting alcoholic? It's just not fair.

(The distinct sound of a shotgun being charged sounds and FTK begins to sweat bullets.)

Uh, ha ha, just kidding. Uhm, we all know I would be nothing without my muse. She's the heart and soul of the story after all…Thank God she put it away. That's was freaking scary. Well anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chap almost as much as last chap. Now read on to find out.

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, but I have come into the rather depressing knowledge that my Muse owns me. She even showed me the documentation.

**Chapter10:** The Will to Fight

"You ready to go yet, Brat?" Jagaa called from the living room as he waited on his sunny-blonde brother.

"Almost!" Naruto called back from the kitchen, his voice distorted by the cup of ramen he was shoveling into his mouth as he tried to eat as much as possible before the mission, due to having been limited by how much the was allowed to take.

"That's the last cup! Understand?" Jagaa stated firmly, earning a despaired whine from the boy. Shaking his head at Naruto's insatiable love of ramen, Jagaa did a final once over of himself to make sure that he had everything when a light knock caught his attention. Frowning slightly, Jagaa turned to the front door. "Hmm, didn't think we were that late yet." He muttered to himself, figuring somebody had been sent to fetch the two of them for the mission. Shrugging once, he walked over and opened the door to tell whoever it was that they would be leaving soon.

Naruto was just throwing away the cup that had contained the noodles he recently consumed when a strange squelching sound caught his ear. After looking down to see if he stepped in something, thankfully finding that he hadn't, Naruto shrugged and finished disposing of his garbage just as Jagaa's voice came from the living room again, this time holding a strangely light, almost musical tone. "Oh, Naruto. By any chance, did the scroll you keep you're pie throwing machine in go missing?"

Naruto frowned slightly at the question. He didn't remember telling his brother about that. "Yeah, I lost it a few days ago during a mission." Naruto replied as he walked into the living room. "But how did you know…that…?" Naruto's jaw dropped as he stared in bewilderment.

Jagaa turned to face the younger blonde with a blank expression, his entire torso and the left half of his face covered in pie crust and chocolate filling. "Oh…call it a hunch." It was at that moment, a large gob of pie filling dripped from the end of Jagaa's nose and landed on the floor with an audible plop.

That was Naruto's first near death experience due to being unable to breathe from laughing so hard.

X X X X X

"Would you stop laughing already?" Jagaa growled at the boy at his side as they reached the rendezvous sight for the convoy to Wave country were Kurenai, Ino, Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and surprisingly Kakashi were already waiting, watching the pair with a mixture of anger at their tardiness, Team 7 being the only ones really supplying the anger, and curiosity at the way they were acting.

"It…d-dripped off…y-y-your…_nose_!" Naruto laughed harder as the image replayed in his head.

Jagaa rubbed his temples in irritation. The worst part of it all was that he didn't even have the right to really get mad about it because he knew that if it had happened to Naruto, Jagaa himself would have been laughing his ass off to…and probably would later anyway once his irritation died down.

"You're late." Kurenai's stern voice drew his attention to where the woman was standing with her arms crossed and her eyes hard.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Jagaa sighed as he apologized. "We got held up by something…Speaking of which." Jagaa turned to Kakashi accusingly. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the pie machine set up outside of my door this morning. Would you, Cyclops?"

Kakashi looked over his book at Jagaa, his visible eye twinkling. "Well, there are several paths that can be taken on the road of life. I suppose it's possible that one of them may have lead to an event like that."

Jagaa's eye twitched behind his glasses. "Would it really be so hard to just say 'Yes'?"

The silver haired man's eye shifted to show his smile. "Yes."

"…When's the last time I told you that I hate you?" Jagaa asked.

Kakashi grasped the edge of his chin in thought with his free hand. "Hmm, I think it was about two weeks ago."

"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." Jagaa paused for a moment and did a quick count on his fingers. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."

"That was two too many." Kakashi pointed out.

"I know. I was covering tomorrow and the next day just to be on the safe side." Jagaa stated.

"Ah." Kakashi replied in acceptance before going back to his book.

"Plop." Naruto sniggered, mimicking the sound of the pie filling hitting the floor and causing a vein to appear on the Jagaa's forehead. This was followed by two, rather audible thuds as the scarred man's fist slammed into the back of the boy's head which was sent him face first into the ground.

And still he laughed…though a bit more painfully than before.

Jagaa sighed again and shook his head. "Sometimes I think I made him too tough." He muttered to himself before facing the rest of the assembled Ninja. As he did though, he noticed Kurenai was staring at him with wide, shocked eyes. "What's up, Princess?"

Still staring as if she had never seen him before, Kurenai spoke almost hesitantly. "You…_apologized_ to me."

Jagaa's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What? That can't be right."

"It's true," Sakura said in support of her female sensei, "and it wasn't sarcastic or anything either. You didn't even follow with an insult of some kind."

Jagaa was starting to look a bit panicked. "I must have! At least a 'Bite me' or something!"

"Nope." Ino piped in with an evil smile. "In fact, you almost sounded…polite."

The blood drained from Jagaa's face. "Nu uh! No way! I refuse to believe that! I do _not _do polite! There's no possibility of polite! You all must have misheard me! Yeah, that's it! It's all just some horrible misunderstanding!"

"I'm afraid not, Jagaa-san." Hinata said calmly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You really did give Kurenai-san a seemingly sincere apology."

Jagaa gaped at the group, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish before rounding on Kakashi and pointing dramatically as he shouted. "Damn you, Kakashi! This is all your fault!"

Kakashi just smiled at the other man before turning the page of his book.

Meanwhile, in a private little room at the Hokage tower, The Sandaime Hokage could be found sitting behind a table and staring down into a little crystal ball and grinning like a four year old at Christmas.

"It's about time you all showed up!" Tazuna called out gruffly as he joined the assembled Ninja. "The wagons are all ready to go, so we'll be moving out within the next ten minutes." The elderly man pulled out a jug of Sake and took a long draw before wiping his mouth and continuing. "I don't care how you plan to do it, but I expect you all to protect this convoy with your lives, because we are entrusting you with ours, and I mean that in more ways than one."

As the rest of the group nodded in acknowledgement, Jagaa raised his hand like a student in class, his mood seeming to have started returning to normal. "Excuse me, but I have a couple questions before we go." Tazuna regarded the scarred man for a moment before nodding for Jagaa to continue. "Okay, first." Jagaa pointed at the jug in Tazuna's hand. "Do you have more of that?"

Tazuna raised an eyebrow at the question as he answered. "Yes, I've got another few bottles or so. Why?"

"Just checking before I did this." The next thing Tazuna knew, his jug of Sake had appeared Jagaa's hand and the content was _dis_appearing down the dirty-blonde's throat. "Ah, I needed that." The scarred man said dreamily followed by a slight burp before he continued talking to the indignant Tazuna as if nothing had happened. "My second question is why you wanted a minimum of four _Jounin_ guarding this convoy when a team or two of Chuunin would have been just as effective, and probably cheaper. I mean, from my experience, a convoy this big isn't usually in much danger, at least not with what you're carrying."

"What do you mean by that, Jagaa-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"He means, that these types of convoys don't get attacked by small bands of thieves very often, and any that might be feeling brave enough to do it would be scared off by the sight of armed guards or Ninja." Naruto cut in, shocking everyone but Jagaa with the professionalism in his voice. "There are larger, more organized groups that might attack it, but that's only if it was something worth the losses they could take. So, unless these wagons have some kind of treasure hidden in all that wood and metal, the chance of a large group like that attacking is pretty low."

"It's just like the brat says." Jagaa followed up. "All the experience I have dealing with this kind of thing says that you don't need the level of protection you're asking for, but for some reason you've been pretty adamant about getting it. I'd just like to know why."

Blinking slightly, the other Ninja looked at pair of blondes in mute amazement before shifting their gazes to Tazuna who was looking a little hesitant. "Does it really matter? I'm paying for the help I ask for aren't I?"

"It matters if you don't want to be killed because we were caught off guard." Naruto replied in a hard voice, shocking those who knew him even more. "You're obviously expecting something bigger than just some chance bandits by the amount of protection you want. We need to know what that is."

Naruto gave the man a steely gaze that made the Tazuna flinch back a bit. Soon after, the old man sighed and nodded. "Okay, the truth is that there _is_ someone who fears this convoy reaching its destination, and even more than that, he fears the completion of the bridge we're are building to connect our island to the main land."

"Who is it?" Ino asked with a tilt of her head. "And why would they be so afraid of a bridge?"

Tazuna's eyes grew hard. "His name is Gatou, and he fears it because if this bridge is finished, it will completely undermine his attempts to take over the Wave. Gatou wants our island because of its strategic positioning in the sea transportation business, and has been trying to force us into submission by hiring thugs to raid our town and attack our supply ships. We've been fighting back with everything we have, but he has more money and an endless supply of ruthless underlings to do his dirty work."

Tazuna moved as if intending to take a drink, only to remember that his jug had been taken. With a small growl at the loss of his Sake, Tazuna continued. "This bridge would change everything though. Trade would skyrocket due to the more convenient method of travel, and in turn, so would our economy. If he looses his ability to cripple our trade and supply, he looses his chance at taking over." Tazuna looked to each of the listening ninja in turn, his eyes determined. "That's why we need to protect this convoy no matter what. It may cost more to higher so much protection, especially when all he's ever sent is low class thugs, but to us, this is our chance to keep our freedom. We've put everything we have into this and we'll lay down our lives to see this bridge built. So you can imagine how little we care about putting forth a bit of extra money." The old man's eyes were filled with determination that dared the Ninja to try to fault him.

"All righty, let's get this shit moving then." Jagaa grinned before downing the rest of the Sake he'd stolen and throwing the bottle back to Tazuna. "We're already late aren't we?"

There was a loud crash as everyone except Jagaa, Naruto, and surprisingly (or maybe not) Kakashi fell down.

"What? That's it?" Ino yelled as she jumped to her feet. "After that third degree you two were giving him, that's all you have to say?"

"We weren't giving him the third degree, Ino." Naruto replied. "We just wanted to know the job details so we'd know what to expect."

Ino gave the other blonde a skeptical look. "Oh really? Sure seemed like an interrogation to me."

Naruto's expression filled with mischief and he looked up at Jagaa. "Hey, Nii-san, she thinks that was our idea of an interrogation. Think we should show her what our _real_ interrogation tactics are?"

Jagaa smirked evilly at the blonde girl, who was starting to feel a bit nervous. "I think that's an excellent idea, Brat."

Ino took a couple steps back apprehensively. "What are you going to do?" Jagaa's smirk grew a little wider and the next thing Ino knew, Jagaa was kneeling down beside her on one his left knee and pulling her up to sit on his right like a chair as her hands were pinned behind her head at the wrist by a strong grip and her legs held together by the ankles like an improvised restraining chair.

Before the girl could even attempt to struggle free from her confinement, Naruto stepped in front of her with his arms crossed and wearing a stern expression. "Yamanaka Ino. Where were you on the twenty third night of the seventh month at half past nineteen hundred hours?"

Ino looked at the other blonde with a mixture of contempt and confusion. "What the hell? That doesn't make any sense!"

"She's not talking, Jagaa-san." Naruto said professionally to his current partner in torture.

Jagaa nodded firmly. "Give her 'The Treatment', Naruto-san."

Ino's eyes widened. "Wait a minute! What the hell is the-Kyaahahah!" Ino was cut off by fits of hysterical laughter as Naruto's fingers started dancing along her sides, stomach, and under her armpits.

Stopping his tickle assault, but still keeping his hands dangerously close, Naruto looked Ino dead in the eye. "If I eat eight bowls of ramen in the morning, eleven in the afternoon, and sixteen in the evening, how many bottles of Sake will Nii-san have drank throughout the day?"

Flushed from her laughter, Ino glared at the boy like he was an idiot. "How the hell am I supposed to know-Bwahahaha-s-stop you bastard-hahaha!"

"Don't let up until she talks." Jagaa ordered. "I'm curious about the answer myself."

"Roger." Naruto acknowledged as he doubled his assault on the helpless Ino.

"Gahahaha-stop-wahaha-quit it you-pffthehe-fucking assholes-gahaha-I'm gonna kill you both-hehehe-cock sucking bastards-hahahaha!" Ino screeched, tears in her eyes from laughing.

As Ino continued to swear and shout death threats at her assailants, the rest of the group could only stare in mute amazement, blinking every few seconds since words seemed to have escaped them.

X X X X X

"Dear _Kami_ does it feel good to be on the road again!" Jagaa shouted joyously from the middle of the wagon train where he had been positioned along with Hinata and Sasuke. Looking down to the Uchiha, Jagaa grinned. "Don't you think so too, Emo?" Sasuke glared at the man in response before turning away with a grunt.

Putting on a stricken expression, Jagaa turned to Hinata and whined piteously. "Hinata-chan, Sasuke's being an anti social weenie." There was a very audible growl from the Uchiha for that comment.

"Maybe it's because you called him an Emo?" Hinata replied. Her lips twitching as she tried to hold back an amused smile.

"But he _is_!" Jagaa complained. "I bet you he has scars all over his wrists and shit."

Hinata gave the man a deadpanned look. "Somehow, Jagaa-san, I don't think you have the right to criticize anyone about having scars."

"Hey," Jagaa defended indignantly, "_my_ scars aren't some pathetic cry for attention. Mine are legitimate badges of honor to commemorate the fights I've lived through and my over all Bad Ass-ness." The scarred man then paused for a second before grinning. "Except some of the scars on my back. Those are badges of a _different_ kind of honor."

"JAGAA!" Kurenai's voice snapped from about seven wagons back where she, Naruto, and Sakura were guarding the rear. "Stop being obscene! We're on a mission!"

"What?" Jagaa called back, a smirk visible even from that distance. "I'm talking about the scars of child hood accidents. What are _you_ talking about?"

Kurenai's face reddened in both anger and embarrassment. "You were _not_ and you know it!" Her embarrassed response earned audible laughter from the scarred man ahead.

"I could have told you he'd do that." Naruto grinned at Kurenai. "He was baiting you from the beginning?"

Kurenai gave Naruto a sidelong glance. "How do you know that?"

"The tone of his voice." Naruto answered simply. "The only time he talks like that is when he's purposely trying to be overheard."

"I didn't notice anything different." Sakura said.

"I've known him a lot longer than you." Naruto replied with a light smile at the pink haired girl. He could honestly say he had been pleasantly surprised by Sakura's attitude since the start of the trip, being much more relaxed and friendly than he could have ever thought possible from the Sasuke obsessed girl. They had even had a short, but enjoyable conversation a little after the trip started, mostly with Sakura looking for some dirt on Jagaa, but still enjoyable. '_I guess this is how she is when she's not trying to catch the Teme's attention._' Naruto thought.'_To bad she'd probably just revert any time he was around. We could probably be friends if it weren't for that._'

Kurenai's eyes narrowed in thought as she looked at the sunny-blonde boy beside her. "If you know him so well, could you tell me how to make him take his position seriously, instead of acting like a disgruntled five year old?"

"Do I look like a miracle worker?" Naruto deadpanned, earning a small snort of amusement from Sakura and a slight twitch of lips from Kurenai. "Nii-san won't take _anything_ seriously if he doesn't have to, and when he does, it usually means someone's about to die." It was a bit disconcerting how casually the boy said that, but neither female had much time to think about it since Naruto was still speaking. "Anyway, you can't get him to be serious, but you _can_ get him to be nicer to you."

"How?" Kurenai asked in a faintly desperate tone.

Naruto grinned foxily at the red eyed woman. "Prank him."

Wind passed through the trees as Kurenai came to a stop and stared at the boy as if he were some sort of unknown life form. "Prank him?"

"That's what I said. By the way, you're falling behind, Kurenai-sensei." After a quick shake of her head, Kurenai jogged a bit to catch up with the grinning Naruto and the giggling Sakura. Once the Jounin was next to them again, Naruto continued speaking. "Your problem, Sensei, is that you're too serious about, well, _everything_. For people like me and Nii-san, that's almost the same as putting a large target on your forehead." Naruto grinned at the red eyed woman. "Nii-san isn't kidding when he says that pissing you off is his favorite form of entertainment."

Kurenai's eyes hardened and her teeth clenched slightly. "And you're telling me, that the only way to get him to stop is to prank him?"

"No." Naruto said with a shake of his head. "That's how you get him to lighten up on you. Did you see the way he calmed down for a little while after Kakashi-sensei used my pie machine on him?" Naruto had to stop for a little while due to laughter as the image of a pie covered Jagaa replayed through his mind. "Anyway, that's what you have to do. You have to show that you're not afraid to go toe to toe with him at his own game, and then he'll start to respect you. Just be ready to be in a prank war for a while. He'll want to test you to make sure it wasn't just a one time thing." Naruto grimaced as he kept speaking. "To be honest, me and Nii-san were in an ongoing prank war for almost six months until we both decided to use laxatives on each other…on the same day. Let's just say that an afternoon of near Mortal Combat to use the bathroom is good sign that it's time to call a truce."

Sakura spewed a fair amount of saliva and ended up choking a bit when Naruto said that last part, an image of the two blondes stuck in the door way to the bathroom as each tried to get in before the other one.

Kurenai managed to control her own reaction so as not to end up in the same state as Sakura, but left proof of her amusement with the slight upward curve of the corners of her mouth. Tilting her head back, the woman stared thoughtfully at the passing clouds as she walked. It would go against her nature, very much so in fact, but if it were the only way to get Jagaa to start behaving better, it might be worth it. With a nod to herself, she gave Naruto a sly, sidelong glance. "So, prank him, huh?"

Naruto grinned mischievously at the woman as he patted the still coughing Sakura's back. "Prank him."

"GAHH! WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY YOU FLEE INFESTED LEG HUMPER!" Ino's voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. "YOU HAVEN'T STOPPED YAPPING SINCE WE LEFT KONOHA!"

"I'LL TALK TO AKAMARU ALL I WANT YOU RETARTED BLONDE!" Kiba's voice shouted back.

"HEY!" Naruto and Jagaa's voices yelled out in sync at Kiba's verbal attack on Ino's hair color and its indirect application to them.

It would be half an hour and a change of groups later before the extremely loud argument between the Yamanaka and Inuzuka would finally be brought to an end.

X X X X X

About two weeks after leaving Konoha, the last of the wagons had just gotten off the large freight boat that had carried the convoy across the open water to land on a secluded beach in the Wave Country.

"All right, that's the last of them!" Tazuna yelled out once the final wagon touched ground on the shore. "Hitch up the oxen and get ready to move out! You all had plenty of time to rest on the boat!" There's was a chorus of agreement from Tazuna's workers as they all set about their tasks. While Tazuna and his group were preparing the wagons for departure, the Konoha Ninja had gathered together a bit off from the group for a tactical meeting.

"We're all going to have to be extra vigilant from here on out." Kakashi said to the group, his orange book put away to show his seriousness. "If what Tazuna said about this Gatou person is true, then he is desperate to stop this group from reaching their destination. Now that were in the Wave, it will be easier for him to send a large enough force to pose a threat."

"That would be the best strategy." Kurenai agreed. "Instead of shipping smaller forces over and doing minor damage, he could set up an ambush with everything he could spare, and if he's really as rich as Tazuna-san said, that could be a very _large_ number."

Kakashi nodded. "Fortunately, it seems Tazuna-san thought of that as well and said he's chosen a path that will use mostly open areas with a few movements through forest areas and only through the least wooded areas as possible when we do."

"So we can see the enemy coming and have room to fight when they do." Naruto clarified, earning an approving smile from Kakashi.

"Exactly, however, that doesn't mean we won't have to take roads that will have thick forest around it at least a couple times." Kakashi added before turning to Hinata with a smile. "So, Hinata-chan, we'll be counting on you to keep watch for us during those times." The Hyuuga girl rolled her eyes at Kakashi's term of address but nodded in understanding.

"Hey, Nii-san." Naruto suddenly spoke up. "Do you have any contacts in Wave that could help us out?" The other Ninja looked over to where Naruto and Jagaa were standing to hear the answer, but instead saw Naruto frowning up at an unresponsive Jagaa who seemed to be staring off into the trees. "Nii-san?"

Jagaa's head jerked slightly and he quickly turned his face to Naruto. "Huh? Oh, contacts. Yeah, I have a couple, but it won't do us any good."

"Why not?" Ino asked, cutting Naruto off who gave her a quick, somewhat annoyed look.

"Well for starters, I'd have to go talk to them personally, and finding them would take longer than it will take to get there." Jagaa said with a shrug. "Also, if this Gatou guy is really that desperate to stop these wagons, he's probably already set up watches and ambushes across half the country to catch us, so my contacts wouldn't be able to do much more than tell us where the bigger ambushes are, and even that would take some time for them to get the information." Jagaa shook his head. "No, it's better to just keep doing as we've been doing. Staying wary of attack and choosing routs that give us enough room to fight large numbers."

The others all nodded their agreement and Kakashi spoke again. "All right, it's settled then. We'll keep the same groups of three we've had and stay in the same order of movement. Any objections?" Kakashi looked to everyone in turn, but nobody disagreed with the decision so the silver haired man smiled. "All righty then. Let's get going shall we."

As the group of Konoha Ninja started moving back to the wagons, Jagaa felt a tug on the back of his shirt and turned his head to find Naruto looking up at him with a concerned expression. "Nii-san, can we talk?"

Jagaa's head tilted slightly as he looked down at the boy. "Sure. What's up?"

"Are…are you okay, Nii-san?" Naruto asked hesitantly, as if not sure how his brother would react to the question.

Jagaa's eyebrows rose slightly. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you've just been so…I don't know…it just seems like you've been getting quieter and more distracted the closer we've gotten to Wave." Naruto paused for a moment, taking a breath before continuing. "Now that I think about it, you did this once before to, just a couple months after I met you. I didn't notice it back then because I didn't know you very well at the time, but I _do_ know we were in Wave Country at the time."

Jagaa's expression tightened almost unnoticeably to anyone but Naruto and the scarred man turned away with a small sigh, but no answer.

Naruto's eyes hardened slightly at his brother's strange behavior. "Nii-san, are you hiding something from me."

"Everyone has something they hide from others, Naruto. Even the people they care about." Jagaa faced Naruto again with a faint smirk. "You should know that better than anyone."

Naruto flinched back a little, his hand unconsciously grasping his stomach at the implication. "Sorry, Nii-san. I didn't mean to pry. I just…" Naruto trailed off, unsure how to express his feelings on the matter, when a comforting hand came to rest on the top of his head. Looking back up, Naruto saw Jagaa smiling warmly down at him.

"I know, Brat. No need to feel bad." Jagaa said as he playfully ruffled Naruto's hair. "I just have a bit of history here, that's all."

Naruto smiled lightly as he knocked away the hand that was adding to the disarray of his spiky hair. "So, will you tell me about it someday?"

"Maybe someday." Jagaa smirked mischievously. "But for now, it's for me to know, and for you to drive yourself insane wondering about."

"Stingy Bastard." Naruto said with a false glare.

"Damn right." The scarred man laughed giving Naruto a light slap to the back of the head. "Now let's get back to the group before Princess gets her panties in a twist over the fact were not there."

"Oh, speaking of Kurenai-sensei." Naruto said as the two of them started walking back to the wagons. "You may have to watch out for her in the future."

Jagaa looked down to the boy with a curious frown. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Because I told her that the only way to get you to lighten up on her was to prank you." Naruto said easily, laughing to himself when he saw Jagaa nearly trip over his own feet.

"You didn't." Jagaa laughed. "Do you think she'll actually do it?"

Naruto grinned. "She did seem pretty desperate to get you to start taking your job more seriously, so she might."

"Ah well, I doubt it'll be anything to worry about." Jagaa shrugged. "I mean, come on. This _is_ Princess were talking about. Does she even know _how_ to pull a prank?"

"Be careful, Nii-san." Naruto warned. "She could surprise you if you're over confident."

"We'll see." Jagaa said in an unconcerned voice.

"Jagaa!" Kurenai's shout rang out. "Quit wasting time and get back here! We're leaving!"

"…You know. I find it distinctly unfair that she singled me out like that without even _mentioning_ you." Jagaa pouted to the younger blonde. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"JAGAA!" Kurenai shouted again.

"I'm coming! Keep your freaking panties on, ya damn Banshee!" Jagaa yelled back irritably.

"Nope, can't imagine why she'd _ever_ single _you_ out." Naruto said sarcastically earning a grin from Jagaa as the two of them continued walking towards the wagons and a now pissed off Kurenai, whom Kakashi was in the middle of trying to talk out of attempting to kill Jagaa in front of the clients.

X X X X X

"All right, everyone, we'll take an hour rest here!" Tazuna shouted to his workers, who gave a quick cheer as they pulled the wagons closer together to make them easier to defend while they rested. Due to a washout on the route Tazuna had originally planned, they had been forced to take a longer and more densely forested route than Tazuna wanted. So far, they had gotten through without incident, reaching the spars clearing they were currently in for a rest, but they still had a large stretch of woodlands to go before they would be back on the originally planned path.

"I guess this would be a good time to eat some lunch then." Kakashi said to the other Konoha Ninja as the nine of them regrouped once the wagons were set up. "Three people at a time, one Jounin, two Genin, just like normal."

"Blondes eat first!" Three voices yelled out as Ino, Naruto, and Jagaa all whipped out there respective lunches with giant grins on their faces.

"You know, that's really unfair." Kiba complained to the rest of the group as the three blondes plopped themselves on the ground and started happily munching on their food. "Don't we have another group of three with something in common that can compete with them for eating first?" Akamaru barked his agreement from his place on Kiba's head.

"Not really." Hinata said with an irritated shake of her head. "Any other groups that might be formable wouldn't be as natural as theirs, and therefore wouldn't be able to compete very well."

"You sound pretty sure of that." Kiba said with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been trying to mix and match groups inside my head since they started doing that." Hinata replied, a small twitch forming in her right eye. "Believe me. I'm certain."

"Well, I don't care if I'm the first to eat or the last as long as I get to eat with Sasuke-kun!" Sakura squealed, hugging the brooding Uchiha's arm, who just gave her an annoyed glare.

Kakashi smiled down at the four remaining Genin. "Now, now, as long as everybody gets to eat it doesn't really matter who goes first does it."

"It's the principle." Kiba pointed out as Hinata nodded in agreement.

"You see." Naruto was saying to Jagaa around a mouth full of his sandwich, seeing as he was out of ramen, as he pointed at Sakura. "She's easy enough to get along with when the Teme isn't around, but once he is…" The boy trailed off and a shudder wracked his body.

"Hey!" Ino said indignantly. "Don't insult Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto glanced at Ino uncertainly before looking at Jagaa. "I thought you said she _wasn't_ as bad as Sakura anymore?"

Jagaa shrugged. "She's gotten a lot better since I first met her, but sometimes she-" Jagaa stopped and his head snapped up before he quickly climbed to his feet, even the wind seeming to pick up in anticipation as a small smirk came to his face. "So much for lunch."

That was all the man needed to say to alert the other Ninja for battle, but before they could start moving to separate positions, Hinata caught sight of something through her activated Byakugan.

"Look out!" The Hyuuga girl yelled in warning at the sight of a giant blade spinning through the air straight at them, and a mass jump cleared all but two of the Ninja jumped clear, with only Jagaa and Naruto remaining, the scarred man calmly watching the large weapon heading for them and the whiskered boy seeming to have decided it wasn't even worth getting up for as he sat on the ground taking a drink from his canteen.

"Jagaa! Naruto!" Kakashi yelled in panic bringing the attention of everyone else back to the pair, their eyes widening in shock when they saw that neither blonde had yet to move.

Even as Kakashi yelled, the blade closed the distance making it impossible for the pair to move in time even if they wanted to now. However, it was soon shown that both had good reason to be unconcerned as Jagaa's right hand shot out with perfect timing to catch the hilt of the large weapon. Using the blades momentum, Jagaa brought his arm up and spun the sword around his head a few times to get it under his control before slashing it down to his side, the blade hovering only inches above Naruto's head who was calmly taking another drink from his canteen.

"You know, Nii-san. I didn't ask for a hair cut." Naruto reprimanded the man, giving the large sword a pointed glance.

"You could use one though." Jagaa grinned. "Besides, I missed anyway. I guess you were shorter than I thought."

Naruto glared at Jagaa for the insult to his height.

A low, rhythmic clapping sounded through the clearing coming from a lone tree about thirty meters away. "Well, well, well. Who would have thought that I'd run into _you _two on this job." A deep, slightly raspy voice called out as the speaker came into view. Crouched on one of the thick lower branches, a man wearing grey camo print pants but no shirt, a _hitai-ate_ worn on the side of his head instead of the front, and white bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face, was looking down at Jagaa and Naruto with piercing black eyes. "It's been a while, Jagaa, Naruto."

"Yeah, life's funny that way." Jagaa replied with a smirk. "I see you're still trying to _compensate_ by using this overgrown Butcher's Knife, Zabuza." As he spoke, Jagaa sent the blade spinning at the man in the tree the same way it had come at him, the man catching it by the handle and spinning it a couple of times just like Jagaa had, only bringing it to rest on his shoulder instead of at his side.

"And I see you're still as irritating as ever." Zabuza growled back as he shifted his sword to rest more comfortably.

"Momichi Zabuza!" Kurenai gasped, her eyes going wide. "The 'Demon of the Mist' and former member of the Mist's 'Seven Swordsmen'! Why is he here?"

"I'll give you three guesses." Jagaa said sarcastically.

"Hey, Uncle Zabuza!" Naruto called cheerily, jumping to his feet and waving to the shirtless man. "Is Haku here to?"

In response to his question, a small gale of wind and leaves howled next to Zabuza before fading away and leaving a boy wearing a loose, green shirt, baggy grey pants, and a white, oval shaped mask with two red markings on it standing next to Zabuza on the tree limb.

"Yes. I'm here as well, Naruto-kun." The new arrival said in a pleasantly smooth voice as he reached up to remove his mask, revealing a feminine face that made placing his gender a very difficult thing. "It's nice to see you again." The boy said with a warm smile.

"OH MY GOD, HE'S GORGEOUS!" Ino and Sakura shrieked in true Fangirl fashion, little hearts forming in their eyes as they stared at Haku, while the boy himself shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Seriously, Haku," Jagaa complained with a bit of despair in his voice, "couldn't you at least get a haircut or _something_! I feel like I should be worrying about my sexuality whenever you're around!"

Haku blushed lightly. "I'm very sorry, Jagaa-san, but I am content with my appearance as it is."

"Leave Haku alone, Nii-san." Naruto chastised his older brother. "He's just fine the way he is." Haku gave Naruto a grateful look, who just smiled in return.

"Are you _sure_ you're not gay?" Jagaa asked suspiciously.

"If you're all finished catching up?" Zabuza growled with hard look between Haku and the two blondes below. "We have a job to do." Standing up and fully displaying his impressive height, Zabuza swung his giant sword around and pointed it at the wagons behind the group of Ninja. "We were hired to kill everyone in that convoy and destroy all the supplies. If you're all willing to stand aside, then you won't have to die."

"Oh, come off it, Bandage Face." Jagaa said, tilting his head and raising a single eyebrow. "I could take you on alone, and from what I hear, the Cyclops and the Princess over there," Jagaa indicated Kakashi and Kurenai with a jerk of his thumb, "are no slouches either. Do you really think you can win with these kinds of odds against you?"

Zabuza's eyes gleamed down at them all in a way that showed he was smirking confidently underneath his bandages. "Just me and Haku? No, we probably couldn't win trying to fight people like you and 'Copy Ninja Kakashi' at the same time." Zabuza paused and did a sweeping motion with his sword. "But, then again, who said it was just us?"

"NII-SAN!" Naruto shouted and the three Konoha Jounin spun around and saw at least twenty men rushing out of the trees from the East and charging the wagons. A series of warlike shouts rang out as another ten appeared out of the North and sounds of yelling and branches breaking from the South signaled even more enemies coming towards them.

"So what will you do now, Jagaa?" Zabuza asked with an amused gleam in his eye while Jagaa grit his teeth in anger.

A woman's scream pierced the air as the first group of enemies closed in on the wagons, one with a sword raised to end the life of the woman screaming, when blast of wind and debris erupted in the middle of the attacking group.

Where once were twenty charging men, now twelve corpses and two groaning injured lay on the ground, clumps of dirt and vegetation falling around them as Jagaa stood in the middle of the massacre sending a wave of killing intent towards the six that had managed to jump clear, revealing their Shinobi training.

"Naruto! Hinata! Kiba! Ino! Sasuke! Sakura!" Jagaa shouted the Genins' names with commander like authority. "Spread out and take care of the weaklings! I'll handle the Ninja in the ranks! Kakashi! You and the Princess take on Zabuza and Haku!" Without waiting for a response, Jagaa launched himself at the remaining six men of the group.

Five Genin and two Jounin were locked in a state of shock at the complete change in the scarred man's demeanor when Naruto's angry shout shocked them even more. "You heard him! Quit staring like idiots and do what you were hired for!" With an animal like growl, Naruto charged at the attackers coming from the north, sending shuriken and kunai flying ahead of him, killing five instantly and wounding three more before he arrived in there midst and started attacking with lethal intensity.

At the sight of Naruto charging into battle without a trace of hesitation, Sasuke felt a jealous rage boil inside of him and immediately attacked the enemies who had just arrived from the South with a flurry of Shuriken, grunting in satisfaction when four of the men screamed out in pain and dropped to the ground. Pulling out a kunai, Sasuke closed the distance and began attacking ferociously, determined to show his superiority to the blonde.

"Kiba!" Hinata shouted, getting the still stunned Inuzuka's attention as she sprinted after Sasuke with her Byakugan pulsing. "You and Akamaru go help Naruto! I'll cover the Uchiha!"

Kiba gave her a thumbs up and a feral grin. "Got it! Akamaru!" The puppy gave a yip and jumped on Kiba's back as the boy made a seal. "**Juujin Bunshin**!" A burst of smoke later, Akamaru stood on Kiba's back as identical copy of his master before jumping to the ground. "Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, getting half growl, half bark in response from the transformed animal as the two of them charged towards the group Naruto was already wreaking havoc on.

"Come on, Sakura!" Ino shouted at her teammate as she to rushed into the fray, heading for a few enemy that had managed to get past the other Genin and Jagaa and were almost on top of the wagons. Shaking her head, Sakura took a quick glance between Ino and Sasuke for a second but quickly made her decision and started running to where Sasuke and Hinata were fighting.

Ino rushed the man that was the closest to the wagons from his right side, but he saw her coming from the corner of his eye and turned to face her, raising his sword into the air and making a clumsy swing for her neck. Ducking the attack, Ino sidestepped to the man's left, and drove her foot into the side of the man's knee. There was an audible pop as the knee bent in sideways followed by a blood curdling scream of pain as the man fell to the ground, clutching his ruined limb.

Ino flinched back at the scream, having never caused an injury like that to anything other than a training dummy before, and it almost cost her life when another enemy appeared behind her with an axe poised to cleave the girl's skull in two. Ino's senses kicked in too late for her to avoid the attack as she turned to see the man behind her. However, just before the man could deliver his fatal blow, a tan, muscular arm viciously slammed a large hammer into the side of her assailants head with a sickening crack, dropping him to the ground like a rag doll. Looking to where the attack had come from, Ino's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized the identity of her rescuer. "Tazuna-san!?"

Holding the same type of small sledge hammer in each hand, Tazuna looked down at Ino with a slight smirk inside his determined eyes. "What are you doing just standing around for, Girly? We got a fight on our hands!"

"B-but, why are you fighting?" Ino asked.

Tazuna's eyes hardened. "Didn't I tell you before? Everyone here is willing to lay down their life to get these supplies through! So you can bet your ass we're going to fight!" A pained cry caught the pair's attention, and they looked over to see another of the attackers fall to the ground with an arrow sticking out of his chest. Looking back to the wagons, Ino saw men jumping to the forest floor with swords, clubs, hammers, and anything else that could be used as a weapon, while the women of the party stood on the wagon seats, firing arrows and bolts from bows and crossbows at the attacking men. Tazuna looked back and grinned at the blonde girl in front of him. "Come one, Girly, time to do what you're getting paid for! We'll back you up with all we got!"

Despite the danger, Ino let out a grin of her own. "You got it, Boss!" Turning around, Ino charged at the newest enemies with Tazuna rushing in behind her.

X X X

"It would seem the plan worked, Zabuza-san." Haku said in a slightly remorseful tone as he watched Jagaa and the six Genin rush over to fend off the attacking mercenaries.

"Yeah, but it won't keep them occupied for long." Zabuza replied through narrowed eyes. "We were only able to find about thirty Chuunin worth anything before we came, but that wont be enough to hold off Jagaa for more than ten minutes, and that's if were lucky." Zabuza's eyes shifted down to Kakashi and Kurenai. "We have to finish those two off before he kills the Chuunin and comes back to help. You take the woman. I'll fight 'Copy Ninja Kakashi'."

Haku put the white mask back over his face. "Hai, Zabuza-san."

"There coming." Kakashi said, his hand going up to his _hitai-ate_ and uncovering his Sharingan. "I'll deal with Zabuza, but don't underestimate that Haku boy."

"I know." Kurenai replied as she kept her eyes locked on Haku's masked figure.

"Sorry, Kakashi," Zabuza called down to the silver haired Jounin as he pulled his sword of his shoulder, "but I have to make this quick. If I don't kill you before Jagaa finishes off his opponents, things could become difficult."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Zabuza." Kakashi said easily. "In that case, I'll do my best to finish this quickly as well. I have cute little Genin that I need to look after anyway."

The two elite Jounin leaked large amounts of killing intent as they held each other's eyes, neither showing fear or hesitation. Without another word, the two Ninja blurred and re-materialized with a clashing of steel as Kakashi held Zabuza's blade at bay with a single kunai. The stand off held for a few seconds before the leapt apart and into the trees to give themselves more room to fight. Kurenai felt a chill run down her spine as the two near legendary Jounin disappear into the surrounding forest, but was suddenly startled by a soft voice from the rear.

"Excuse me, but are you an acquaintance of Naruto-kun's."

Kurenai gasped and whirled around with a Kunai in hand to face Haku, her nervousness starting to rise. '_He's fast! I only took my eyes off him for a second and he managed to get behind me. He's definitely not an ordinary boy!_' The woman shook her head and processed what Haku had just asked her. "I don't really know Naruto, but I am partnered with his brother Jagaa."

"I see." Haku said in low tone, a strange, cold air starting to rise from his body. "That is good to hear. I would hate to make Naruto suffer by killing someone close to him."

Kurenai's eyes widened as the cold air actually solidified, forming a dome of mirrors surrounding her. '_A Kekei Genkai!_' She snapped her eyes back to Haku just in time to see the boy merging with the mirror directly behind him. As soon as he had completely sunk into the ice mirror, an image of the boy appeared in the rest of the surrounding mirrors, each image simultaneously pulling out several senbon needles and poising to attack.

"I have no grudge against you, Kunoichi-san," Haku said in a resigned tone, "but it is Zabuza-san's order that I finish this as quickly as possible. I'm very sorry." As soon as he finished, senbon needles started flying at Kurenai from every direction at impressive speeds, and the Kunoichi knew she was in trouble.

X X X

Jagaa was starting to get irritated by the careful and guarded attacks the Ninja he was fighting were using on him. It had been a little more fun initially when some of them had tried to get around him and attack the convoy by blending in with the other mercenaries, but they figured out rather quickly that Jagaa seemed to know who was a Ninja and who wasn't as he made sport of picking them off from a distance, and had given up on that approach in favor of what could best be described as harassment attacks. If only they would have been stupid enough to all charge in at once in an attempt to overwhelm him, he would have already finished the fight and been helping Kakashi and Kurenai smack Zabuza and Haku around, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

'_It's like they're stalling me!_' Jagaa realized as he dodged around a kunai slash to his abdomen before bringing his blade down and neatly taking the attacker's head off. '_That damned Bandage face! He must have done some recon before attacking!_' Sensing the incoming attack, Jagaa back flipped over the long chain stretched between two Chuunin that tried to wrap around him from behind put a kunai in the skulls of two others that tried to rush him from each side while he was upside down. Landing smoothly, Jagaa stabbed under his armpit and impaled the Ninja that had attempted to blindside him before standing up and smirking at the two Chuunin with the chain.

"The 'Demon Brothers', huh?" Jagaa commented as offhandedly as his irritation would allow. "I suppose it was you two who did the recon for Bandage Face. I'm surprised I didn't notice you though." Jagaa leaned back and let several Kunai fly in front of him, responding with a few shuriken without bothering to look and smiling at the pained cry that followed. '_That's seventeen! Judging by chakra signatures, about fifteen to go!_'

"We knew they would be hiring Jounin." The brother with a large claw on his left had stated.

"So we were extra careful in observing." The one with the claw on his right hand finished.

"I guess that explains it then." Jagaa growled as he blocked the shuriken aimed for his back by moving his sword behind him. "But I know you can't actually expect to kill me with just this, can you?"

"No, we don't." The first brother answered. "However, _beating_ you was never our objective. We just have to keep you busy until Zabuza-sama and Haku-sama have killed the other two."

"And since Haku-sama has already activated his bloodline," The second brother continued, a noticeable smirk in his voice. "That Kunoichi won't survive for much longer anyway."

Jagaa's expression hardened and his chakra spiked. "Is that so?" Jagaa's sword slashed in front of him and the Demon Brothers' eyes widened as they jumped away as fast as they possibly could. Behind the spot that the pair had just been standing, three other Chuunin who had been waiting to attack fell into two cleanly cut pieces, their now lifeless eyes locked in a state of confusion as to what had killed them. Jagaa pulled back his blade and faced the now frightened brothers that had managed to avoid his attack, his tone going lethal. "Then I guess I don't have time to keep playing with you anymore."

X X X

Kiba couldn't believe what he was seeing as he and the transformed Akamaru fought the mercenaries that were managing to get past Naruto. The amazingly _few_ that did anyways. Could this really be the same blonde air head that he had befriended over a year ago? The same boy who went gaga over ramen and half the time acted like a clueless idiot? If it weren't for the sunny-blonde hair and the whiskered cheeks, Kiba would never believe that the hardened professional he was seeing at this moment was really his best friend.

Ducking under a sword swipe to his head, Naruto drove his kunai under into the man's armpit, severing the major artery. Ripping out the kunai, Naruto grabbed the man's sword and threw it with all his might at another attacker, putting the blade through the man's throat all the way to the hilt. Rolling out of the way of a club coming down for his skull, Naruto sliced through both of another man's Achilles Tendons. The man screamed in pain and fell to the ground, only to be silenced when Naruto drove his kunai into the man's heart. Leaving his the kunai in the dead man's chest, Naruto launched himself at a new opponent, ramming his fist into the mercenary's throat and collapsing his wind pipe before moving on again.

Kiba dodged away from the club coming at his face before slashing the attacker arm with his claws. The man cried out in pain, but Kiba cut the cry off by slamming his fist into the man's jaw and knocking him unconscious, just all the others he that he had fought. Another cry rang out and Kiba looked over just in time to see another man fall to the ground with an arrow in his chest.

Kiba mentally cursed at himself. Naruto didn't seem to be having any trouble killing the enemy, and even the women in the convoy weren't hesitating to finish them off. So why was the thought of killing these men bothering him so much? Hell, even Akamaru was killing easily. Tearing through throats and with claws and fangs in true canine like fashion, but Kiba...

The Inuzuka growled low in his throat as his anger with himself continued to grow to new heights. The odor of an irregular bather caught his attention, and Kiba sidestepped the spear thrust to his back. His anger at himself becoming rage from the cowardly attack, Kiba grabbed the spear with his left hand, jerking it and the man holding it forward, and spun backwards along the shaft to throw a vicious slash at the man's neck, ripping open his jugular.

The man's gurgled scream froze the Inuzuka boy in place as he watched the man fall to the earth and drown in his own blood, killed by Kiba's own hand. A wave of nausea washed over him as he realized that he had finally, and irreversibly, killed another human.

He heard a barked warning before something rushed past him and was followed by yet another dieing scream. Spinning quickly, Kiba found his transformed partner crouched over a man who had just had his throat torn out that had been sneaking up behind Kiba. Looking at his master with reprimanding eyes, Akamaru barked at Kiba to keep his mind on the fight. Shaking his head, Kiba thanked his canine partner and dove back into the fight, forcing his nausea down through willpower alone. He would worry later about what he had just done, and may soon do again, but for now, he had a job to do.

Attacking with new determination, Kiba shattered the kneecaps of another attacker and was moving to another, when Naruto's voice rose above the chaos shouting "Sakura!" as the boy himself sped past Kiba at speeds the Inuzuka didn't know his blonde friend was capable of. Following Naruto's path, Kiba saw what Naruto had seen, and his eyes widened.

X X X

She'd done it without thinking. She'd done it to save the life of her client. She'd done it because she had no other choice at the time. So, why? Why was she feeling like she had just committed some irredeemable sin as she stared into the dieing eyes of the man whose chest she driven her kunai into just before he could kill Tazuna? Why was the bile building in the back of her throat and demanding release, even as she fought with everything she had to keep it down? She had done the right thing hadn't she? She knew she had done the right thing.

So, why?

Ino started violently when a firm yet gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder and she looked up into Tazuna's understanding eyes. "Thanks, Girly, you really saved my bacon! But don't go spacing out just yet! We still got a fight on our hands after all!" Swallowing the down the bile that was still trying to force its way to the outside, Ino nodded as determinedly as she could manage. "That's the spirit!" Tazuna grinned, whipping around and raising his hammers into the air. "Come on you scum sucking bastards! Just try and get to these wagons!" With a mighty war cry, the old man threw himself at two new attackers and started hammering them into the ground with strong, solid blows.

Feeling encouraged by her client's willingness to protect his countries hope, Ino started running in behind him to help and protect the old man when Naruto's cry of her rivals name reached her ears. Looking behind her, Ino saw the blonde boy running as fast as he could with a panicked expression, and quickly twisted her neck to see where he was going. As soon as she did, she cried in horror at what was about to happen.

"SAKURA!"

X X X

Hinata danced around attack after attack with a graceful ease that few could match as the enemy fell before her like leaves falling from a tree in autumn. Twisting around a stab to her chest, Hinata spun around behind the man and struck a glowing palm into the lower left side of his back, destroying his liver with a burst of chakra. As the man fell, Hinata ducked a swipe to her head from behind, spinning around in a crouch and springing forward and striking the new opponents chest with another chakra infused palm, rupturing his heart.

It was surprisingly easy for the Hyuuga heiress to take these men's lives. Fueled by the knowledge that they wouldn't hesitate to kill her given the chance, which was being proven again and again as she danced around lethal blows, and the experience of being forced to do something that was far worse to her than killing an enemy she had never met before, every strike she made was made to be fatal.

However, even as she killed her own opponents, Hinata couldn't help but feel revolted at the Uchiha fighting alongside her. The raven haired boy was not only willing to kill his enemies, he was startlingly _eager_ to do it. His eyes told of his desire to kill any enemy within his reach and that he very well may try to go through an ally to get to them. Hinata had actually been forced to put some distance between herself and the blood-lusting Uchiha in order to avoid a situation that could put her fighting against a teammate, even if he was only a temporary one.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!"

The shouted attack and a sudden burst of heat made Hinata whip around in surprise as Sasuke launched his fire attack at three of the mercenaries that had gotten past them. However, Hinata also saw something that Sasuke hadn't and panic struck her as she yelled, knowing it was too late for the warning to reach.

"Haruno!"

X X X

It wasn't enough.

That's all Sasuke could think as he drove a kunai into the skull of one of the attackers. He wasn't doing enough to show up Naruto.

It had been bad enough that the blonde had been the first to rush into battle after Jagaa, making Sasuke look as if he had hesitated, but that wasn't what was eating at the Uchiha the most. No, what had infuriated the Sasuke more than anything was that Naruto seemed so…_Professional_!

There was no hesitation in the blonde's attacks. No doubt in his movements as he systematically killed the attacking mercenaries. Instead, Naruto tore through his enemies with hard eyes and a grim expression faster than Sasuke had ever seen the other boy move before. It enraged him to think that Naruto had most likely been _holding back_ in their previous spars. It was a blow to his pride as a ninja, and even worse, as an Uchiha. Driven by his growing anger, Sasuke had attacked and killed his own opponents without pity or remorse. If Naruto could do it, then Sasuke could as well, and he would do it better, no matter what it took.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw three men running for the wagons and, still driven by his desire to outdo Naruto, the Uchiha boy's hands started flashing through seals. "**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu**!" The attack erupted from Sasuke's mouth and straight for the three mercenaries who screamed in terror at the sight of the large mass of fire closing in on them. Smirking to himself at three more kills, and in a much more impressive way than Naruto had yet done, Sasuke turned back to his other opponents, never seeing the flash of pink hair that had appeared behind the three men just as Sasuke launched his attack or hearing the warning cry from the Hyuuga heiress.

X X X

Sakura was frightened as she barely dodged her opponent's clumsy swing. She wasn't ready for this. This shouldn't have happened.

Why was it like this? Sakura had been so sure that Kurenai-sensei, Jagaa-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei would be doing most of the fighting if anything happened that she hadn't been worried about he mission in the least when they started, even after Tazuna had told them about the person that was trying to stop the bridge supplies from getting through.

All of that changed though, when those two Ninja showed up and somehow managed to get all three of the Jounin in separate fights, leaving only the Genin to fight the common hired thugs.

Now Sakura found herself fighting for her life with none of the powerful figures she had been leaning on near her. She hadn't even been able to get close enough to Sasuke-kun to try to draw strength from his presence before she had ended up against her first opponent, making it all she could do to dodge out of the way of the attack that nearly ended her life. In truth, Sakura knew that she probably already would have been killed if it weren't for Hinata and Sasuke in front of her, taking down most of the attackers before they could pass, and the support from the men and women of the convoy who were helping fight against anyone who managed to get past their Shinobi escort.

Sakura leapt back to avoid the blade that almost cut her in half before jumping forward again and planting a foot in her assailants face, making him stumble back as he spit out blood and teeth. Before the man could recover enough to attack again, a crossbow bolt impaled him in the eye and dropped him to the forest floor. Sakura didn't know who it was, but somebody seemed to have noticed that the pink haired girl didn't seem able to kill her opponents and had been acting like her back up, finishing off anyone she injured. The pink haired girl was extremely grateful to her unknown help, since it was the biggest contributor to her will to fight, but her fear and inability to kill the opponent refused to leave her. Still, she somehow forced herself to keep going, to keep dodging, to keep fighting.

She had to, if she wanted to live.

"SAKURA! SAKURA/HARUNO!"

The sudden shouts, accompanied by agonized screams, reached the pink haired girl at the same time a large, orange light caught her attention and she whipped her head around with wide, horrified eyes at the sight of the large ball of fire that had just incinerated three men now bearing down on her.

Her body froze, taking away any chance she may have of avoiding the attack, and she could only stare with wide, nearly uncomprehending eyes at what would be the instrument of her death even as her heart and soul silently cried out for someone to save her.

"**Doton: Doryuheki no Justu**!"

A mass of sunny-blonde hair blurred into existence in front of her and a wall of earth shot from the ground just in time to intercept the oncoming attack. A crash of earth and fire filled the air around the pink haired girl with heat and debris as she stood locked in her trance like state, unable to believe she was really still alive.

"Are you all right?" A concerned voice asked and soon Sakura found herself staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head at the call, managing to get some sort of grasp on reality again, but still feeling extremely lightheaded. "Y-yes. I'm all right."

Her savior, who she could finally recognize as being Naruto, gave her an appraising look before grabbing her shoulders and setting her down against the earth wall. "Stay here! We'll handle the rest!" Sakura nodded mutely, still in a state of shock as to what had just happened. She could see the relief in the blonde boy's eyes at her being okay, but she could also see something else.

Rage.

He was furious about something, but in her current condition, she couldn't quite comprehend what it might be. She was considering questioning him on it, but another familiar shout seemed to have drawn the boy's attention, so she decided it was probably better to wait and ask later. Naruto looked down at her one more time as if to make sure she was really still in one piece before pulling a kunai from his pouch and vanishing from her sights in a burst of speed.

Once the boy was gone, Sakura was able to recover just enough to whisper the words that had been running through her mind since the boy had appeared in front of her to answer her silent prayer.

"Thank you."

X X X

Hinata all let out explosive breaths of relief at Naruto's barely in time rescue of their pink haired comrade. Unfortunately, Hinata's relief was short lived when her Byakugan caught movement coming in from the north, and her eye's widened at the sight of hundreds of more Mercenaries rushing out of the trees.

"REINFORCMENTS! A LOT OF THEM! COMING FROM THE NORTH!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. It only took a couple of seconds for Naruto to shoot out from behind the defensive wall with a kunai held loosely in his left hand while he formed a cross shaped seal.

"NII-SAN!" Naruto shouted to Jagaa who was facing the oncoming horde surrounded by dead bodies, with his left hand out stretched and an irritated expression on his face. At the sound of the shout, Jagaa turned around to see Naruto coming, and his face lit up as if in understanding before changing into a smirk as he repositioned himself so his hand was now facing Naruto.

And then her jaw dropped.

X X X

Jagaa grabbed the left arm that was coming at his side with his own left hand, twisting his body and throwing the clawed appendage into the chest of the identical attacker coming from behind. The still living brother cried out in rage and grief, but the cry was died along with the one crying out when the claw his brother had been wearing was rammed into the base of his skull by Jagaa, killing him instantly. Their bodies going limp, the two brothers fell to the forest floor, embracing each other in death.

"…I hope Bandage Face and Girly Boy didn't like those two very much." Jagaa muttered as he turned back to where he could feel Kakashi and Kurenai's chakra signatures. "All right, time to-"

"REINFORCMENTS! A LOT OF THEM! COMING FROM THE NORTH!"

Jagaa swore loudly and turned towards the sounds of a very large amount of people, confirming Hinata's yell, and he felt his annoyance rising as he expanded his senses and saw that there was nearly two hundred at least that were about to burst through the trees. Cursing his luck at the knowledge he could probably handle that many without resorting to anything flashy if he was on his own, and probably would just for the fun of it, but with the convoy and other people behind him he really didn't have that option. Sighing irritably, Jagaa raised his free left hand, since his sword was held in his right, and held it in a loosely open position in the direction the hired 'Dead Men', at least that's how Jagaa thought of them, had just started emerging from.

'_This is probably gonna raise a lot of questions that I don't really feel like answering, but I'll dodge those later._' Jagaa thought, before adding sarcastically to himself. '_Unless someone has a better idea._'

"NII-SAN!" Naruto's voice drew Jagaa's attention and he faced back to find the boy rushing towards him with a kunai held loosely in his left hand as he formed a cross shaped seal. Jagaa immediately recognized the seal and his face lit up in understanding.

'_Not bad, Brat._' Jagaa thought, his lips forming a smirk as he shifted his stance and held his left hand out to Naruto. The boy smirked in response and picked up his speed just before jumping into the air straight at Jagaa.

"**Kage Bunshin no**-" Naruto's flying form reached Jagaa, who grabbed the front of the blondes shirt as he threw the boy forward at breakneck speed. "-**Jutsu**!" Naruto shouted just as Jagaa's grip left his shirt and hundreds of Narutos materialized into existence, all flying at the same speed as the original with a kunai held out in front of them like human Javelins on a deadly flight path directly into the mass of attacking enemies.

Screams of fear, pain, and death filled the clearing and the surrounding forest as two hundred men were felled all at once by an equal number of identical blondes that disappeared in bursts of smoke on impact.

Having already found themselves in a far more difficult fight than they had signed on for, that last action was enough to break the remaining attackers resolve and send them running back into the forest with terrified shrieks. A loud cheer erupted from the men and women in the convoy as they waved their weapons in the air in victory.

Jagaa didn't join the celebration though, due to the fact he could still feel the flaring of chakra from Kakashi, Kurenai, Zabuza, and Haku, meaning that _their_ battles were still being fought. Seeking out the closest pair of chakra signatures, Haku and Kurenai, Jagaa vanished like a gust of wind to intervene.

X X X

Yes, Kurenai was in serious trouble. That had become more apparent with every passing second as she blocked and dodged the barrage of needles coming from all directions with everything she possessed. Even though the needles hadn't been flying faster than anything she could handle normally, the shear volume of them were starting to wear her down as several managed to get through her guard and give her grazing injuries that were painful even if not lethal. What was hurting her the most though, was that even if the boy slowed down his rate of attack for a moment, the second Kurenai tried to form seals to create a Genjutsu that might be able to turn the tide to her favor, Haku would immediately pick it up again in order to force her to break her seal sequence and defend herself from the rain of needles.

'_If I could just get out of this dome, I could win!_' The woman thought desperately as she looked for any chance to succeed in that goal. She had tried to make a rush for the gaps in the mirrors several times, but every time Haku would block her path with an increased number of senbon, forcing her back to the middle of the dome of ice.

A new wave of needles came at her, and Kurenai once again found herself ducking, dodging, and knocking senbon needles out of the air with one of the kunai in each hand. '_At least he's starting to slow down…but then again, so am I._' Kurenai thought with grit teeth due to the stinging pain from her injuries. '_If I can just last a little longer though, I may be able to get out of here._'

"It appears I am starting to reach my limit. This technique is rather draining on my chakra after all." Haku said in his usual polite tone. "However, I can not allow you to join your teammate in fighting Zabuza-san, since that may prove difficult even for him." Haku raised his right fist with three senbon needles held between his fingers. "I will end this now!"

Kurenai braced herself as the newest barrage of needles came at her and had just moved her leg in preparation to dodge when a piercing pain hit her in the back of the thigh. The surprise hit managed to stop Kurenai's movement, and before the she even had a chance to register what had happened, several more senbon struck her thighs and calves almost all at once. Screaming in pain, Kurenai dropped to her hands and knees, her kunai slipping from her grip and landing several feet in front of her with a steely clatter.

"It appears you didn't notice, Kunoichi-san." Haku said calmly down to the pained woman. "My earlier attacks were not so much intended to hit you, as they were to analyze your movements and dodging patterns." Kurenai wanted to curse violently when she heard that, furious to find out that she had been being toyed with the whole time. She glared at the boy's image as he drew his arm back for a final attack, his voice going low and remorseful. "I'm sorry."

As the senbon needles rained down on her this time, Kurenai knew she was done for. Her legs had been paralyzed by the weapons embedded into them, leaving her completely unable to move, much les dodge. Fear and anger mingled together as the red eyed woman watched the weapons close in on her. Fear, that she was truly about to die and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Anger, that she had let it come to this in the first place when she knew she could have won easily if she hadn't let herself get trapped in the dome of mirrors. But whether fear or anger stood as the dominant emotion didn't matter anymore, she was about to die, and that was that. Bowing her head in a mixture of defeat and shame, Kurenai closed her eyes and waited for her end.

Instead, she felt a blast of wind erupt around her as the sound of metal hitting earth filled the air. Snapping her head up in surprise, her eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of Jagaa's black clothed form towering in front of her like a dark guardian angel, emitting an aura of power and danger that she would have never thought possible from the sarcastic, annoying man she knew.

"This fight is over." Jagaa said in a professional, lethal tone that made Kurenai swallow unconsciously. "You and Zabuza are the only ones left, Haku. Do you really want to continue now that you don't have anyone else to keep me out of the fight?" Jagaa's chakra flared and even the very air around them started swirling as if marking the arrival of a powerful storm.

Haku appeared to flinch back at the display before speaking. "It seems I have no choice. I will withdraw." The images of the boy faded away until only one remained before Haku slowly stepped out of the ice mirror and disappeared in a small whirlwind.

The panels of ice shattered like planes of glass, falling to the ground with a strangely musical melody. Turning back around, Jagaa kneeled down to Kurenai and started inspecting her legs. "Hmm, it doesn't seem too bad, but we'll have to wait to take out the needles. So…" Without warning, Jagaa put one arm under her legs, being careful to avoid the protruding weapons, and the other one under her back, lifting her up easily as her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.

"W-what are you doing!" Kurenai nearly stammered, her face flushing deeply at the intimate way she was being held even as she glared accusingly at the scarred man holding her.

"I told you." Jagaa stated seriously, catching the red eyed woman completely off guard agian. "We'll have to wait to pull out the needles, and I'm _not_ leaving you here alone when you're injured."

Kurenai felt her breath hitch in her throat as she stared up Jagaa, astounded by this new side of him. Was this professional, protective person _really_ the same man that had been going out of his way to make her life so difficult for the last month? If it really was, then why was he acting so…

"Hold on, we're going to check on Kakashi." Kurenai didn't have a chance to respond before she felt the slight shifting sensation that came before using Shunpo, and she quickly tightened her grip on the man's shoulders as they vanished in a swirl of wind.

X X X

Copy Ninja Kakashi stared hard into the black eyes of The Demon of the Mist, Zabuza, as each of them looked for an opening for their next attacks. Kakashi's left hand was across his stomach, nursing the gash Zabuza's sword had dealt him, while Zabuza's own left arm dangled uselessly at his side due to Kakashi impaling his shoulder with a kunai in return.

"Hmm, you're not bad, Kakashi." Zabuza said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "I thought for sure this would have been over all ready."

"Thank you." Kakashi said simply, his eyes never straying from his opponent's.

Before anymore words could be spoken, the two elite Shinobi felt a large spike of chakra that Kakashi thought he recognized and Zabuza's eyes flashed in annoyance. "Tch, it looks like we took too long." As soon as Zabuza finished speaking, there was a howling of and Haku materialized beside him.

"I'm sorry, Zabuza-san." The boy said respectfully. "I was unable to kill her before Jagaa-san arrived."

Zabuza's eyes shifted to the boy at his side, giving him a half annoyed, half understanding look before closing his eyes and sighing irritably. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't able to kill Kakashi either, so it wouldn't have made a difference." The Demon of the Mist's words were emphasized by another howling wind and three sets of eyes shifted to where Jagaa had just arrived with a furiously blushing Kurenai in his arms who seemed determined not to look at his face. Zabuza's eyes narrowed on Jagaa, who gazed steadily back, as if daring him to make an attempt. Instead, Zabuza let out a grunt and turned back to Haku. "We're leaving."

"Hai, Zabuza-san." Haku said with a nod and the two of them vanished in a howl of wind.

Expanding his senses to make sure that Zabuza was really clear of the area, Kakashi sighed in relief and pulled his hitai-ate back down over his left eye. "You certainly took your time coming back."

"I had to make a detour." Jagaa said simply, unconsciously shifting his grip on Kurenai to support her better and causing the woman's flush to deepen.

"Mah, whatever." Kakashi shrugged turning in the direction of the wagons. "Let's just get back and check on our…" His words died away as he fell face first onto the forest floor.

"Kakashi!" Kurenai cried out in alarm as Jagaa moved next to the silver haired man.

Kakashi was panting heavily as he lay on the ground, but he managed to turn his head just enough to give the pair a wan smile. "Ah, sorry about this. Using the Sharingan takes a heavy toll on my body and I also took an injury to my stomach. I guess I just couldn't hold out any longer."

"You have the Sharingan?" Jagaa questioned with a frown. "You're not an Uchiha though."

"It was a gift from my best friend." Kakashi said in a tired voice. "But that's not the point right now. The point is that I can't move, so you'll have to leave me here and come back for me once you make sure that our teams and clients are okay."

"Why would we have to leave you?" Jagaa asked, getting a confused look from both Kurenai and Kakashi. Turning his neck so he was facing Kurenai, a small, almost unnoticeable smirk ghosted to his lips. "Don't slap me for this." Before Kurenai could ask what he meant, Jagaa shifted his left arm so that it was directly under Kurenai's rear before taking his right out from under her legs, leaving her sitting on his left arm like a chair. If the red eyed woman had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to now as his hand grasped her left cheek firmly to keep her in place. As Kurenai tried to fight back her natural instinct to slap him, since he had at least _sort of_ warned her with his request _not_ to be slapped, Jagaa reached down and pulled Kakashi off the ground by the front of his Jounin vest before none to gently throwing the taller man over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

Kakashi let out a pained grunt as his wound was aggravated by the rough treatment. "Excuse me, but why is it that I get treated so roughly when you've been so careful with Kurenai?" He asked indignantly.

"Quit complaining, Cyclops." Jagaa said without a trace of apology in his voice. "I'm the one who has to have your ass by my face. Now hold on." The wind picked up around them as the three disappeared with a _Shunpo_ to where their teams and clients were regrouping, leaving only the echo of Kakashi's sullen response behind.

"It's not like my view is much better."

X X X X X

"Empty out the load in the fifth wagon and spread it out amongst the others! We'll use it to carry the most severely injured!" Tazuna's voice carried through the clearing as the three Jounin materialized among the bustling people. "Treat the minor injuries on sight! If you can still walk, you walk the rest of the way!" The old man was received by shouts of understanding as everyone purposefully set about following the guidance.

"How bad is it?" Jagaa asked immediately, still carrying his fellow Jounin.

Tazuna snapped around in surprise at the sudden arrival, but his face quickly went serious again. "Out of fifty three of us, seventeen were injured, some minor and some serious," Tazuna's eyes darkened and his voice lowered, "and five were killed."

The two Jounin being carried felt a slight tightening of the arm carrying them and Jagaa's voice dropped as well. "I'm sorry." Kurenai looked up to Jagaa's face after his reaction and tone, but nothing in his expression betrayed what he might be feeling on the matter, making it unclear if he truly felt something at the lost lives of the clients or if he was simply being polite.

Tazuna face saddened at Jagaa's condolences. "So am I." Taking a deep breath, Tazuna reined his emotions and looked at the three Jounin resolutely. "But we knew the dangers when we started this and we were the ones who chose to fight instead of cowering in our wagons. We're just lucky all of you were here. None of us would have survived that attack if you weren't."

Jagaa nodded in understanding before speaking again. "We need to go check on our teams."

"Right." The old man agreed. "I need to oversee the rest of the group as well." Tazuna turned and walked back to the wagons as Jagaa started heading towards where the Genin of teams 7 and 8 gathered near one of the nearby trees. As they got closer, Kurenai noticed that something seemed off with the six Genin. The most obvious thing being the way Hinata and Kiba seemed to be keeping a firm grip on the blonde's left arm while his right dangled limply at his side and taking to him with low voices and worried eyes. The whiskered boy himself seemed to be having some sort of internal struggle as his gaze kept shifting from Sakura, who was sitting on the ground staring into the distance with dull eyes as Ino rubbed her back and whispered reassurances to the girl, to Sasuke, who was the only one who looked completely normal, his blue eyes flashing from concern to unbridled fury with each shift.

"Jagaa-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Kakshi-sensei." Ino said in relief as the three Jounin arrived on scene, drawing everyone's attention.

"Is everyone okay?" Kurenai asked as Jagaa kneeled down and carefully set her on the ground before removing Kakashi from his shoulder and laying the man on his back and putting his hand directly over Kakashi's wound, surprising the red eyed woman when she saw Jagaa's hand start to glow a soft green and Kakashi's wound began to close.

"Yeah, we're all okay." Ino paused and looked down at Sakura. "Well, no one got hurt at least, but Sakura…" Ino trailed off and had to take a slow, deep breath to steady her emotions. "Sakura was almost killed."

Kurenai's eyes widened at the news of what had almost happened to one of her Genin, and her head snapped over to look at Sakura. "Sakura? Are you okay?" She asked, but the girl made no response and instead continued to stare blankly.

"Tch." Sasuke's annoyed grunt sounded for everyone to hear. "To almost be killed by opponents of that level. What pathetic excuse of a Kunoichi."

"THAT'S_ IT_!" Naruto roared, throwing Kiba and Hinata from him violently before grabbing the Uchiha by the throat with his left hand and slamming Sasuke against the tree. "YOU SON OF BITCH! _YOU_ WERE THE ONE WHO ALMOST KILLED SAKURA, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

All three Jounin snapped their heads over to Naruto and Sasuke, Jagaa's expression becoming incredulous while Kurenai and Kakashi's eyes went wide. "WHAT!?" Kurenai screamed in shock, unable to believe what she had just heard. Jagaa and Kakashi managed to control their own out bursts, but each of their faces had gone stony as they looked at the Uchiha that was currently being strangled.

"What…are you…talking…about?" Sasuke gasped out as he struggled against the arm holding him against the tree, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break the vice like grip that was cutting off his air supply.

"What am I talking about? WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT!?" Naruto's grip tightened even more and Sasuke could swear he saw the blonde's eyes take on a purple hue. "I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT KATON JUTSU YOU USED THAT ALMOST ROASTED YOUR OWN TEAMMATE ALIVE, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, but still managed to stay defiant despite his dwindling oxygen supply. "She wasn't…there…when I…attacked."

"YES SHE _WAS_!" Naruto shouted, his anger flaring higher than ever at the Uchiha's obliviousness. "ARE YOU SO GOD DAMNED BLIND TO EVERYONE BUT YOUR ENEMY THAT YOU DON'T EVEN CARE IF YOUR OWN TEAMMATES GET CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE!" Sasuke was starting to see spots as Naruto paused, letting up just enough to ensure that Sasuke didn't pass out, before growling at the Uchiha. "When you're on a mission, your team is the same as your family! Are you such an arrogant bastard that you're willing to kill your family just because you're out to prove something?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and his struggles stopped as Naruto's words hit him like a blow from a hammer, his mind flashing to a certain memory of that terrible night.

/Flashback/

"_Why!?" An eight year old Sasuke cried out with tears streaming down his face as he looked at the shadowed figure in front of him. "Why did you kill everyone!?"_

_The figure raised his head and revealed two fully evolved Sharingan staring at Sasuke with a cold intensity as he answered with a single sentence. "To test myself."_

/Flashback End/

All the fight died away from the young Uchiha as he turned his head away from Naruto with wide, haunted eyes. '_Am I really…just like _him_?_' Sasuke felt as if his spirit was shattering inside and his body went limp in Naruto's grip.

Confusion mingled with the whisker marked boy's anger as Sasuke's body became like a rag doll in his hand and his expression became like that of damned man. His anger waning slightly at the pathetic sight of the normally proud Uchiha, Naruto grudgingly let him go, allowing the raven haired boy to slide limply down the trunk of the tree and sit unresponsively at it's base as the blonde turned away with a snort of disgust.

Several sighs of relief could be heard when Naruto finally let Sasuke go. The loudest being from one Yuuhi Kurenai who, after letting her relief be known, turned to glare at both Kakashi and Jagaa. "Why didn't either of you try to stop him? He's your subordinate," She pointed accusingly at Kakashi before shifting the point to Jagaa, 'and he's your brother!"

Kakashi, who was laying fully on his back again now that the situation was over, shrugged painfully. "Well, for one thing, I can't exactly move very well at the moment. The other is because Naruto more or less did what _I_ felt like doing when I heard what Sasuke almost did." Kakashi's visible eye darkened and seemed to become almost self loathing. "Those who don't care about their comrades are worse than trash."

"Well said." Jagaa murmured.

Kurenai shook her head in exasperation and looked up to Jagaa. "And what about you?"

Jagaa's attention stayed focused on Kakashi's wound as he answered. "I knew Naruto wouldn't kill him, no matter how much he may have wanted to, and nothing he said or did was wrong as far as I'm concerned." The green glow faded from Jagaa's hand and he turned his head to Kakashi's. "All right, Cyclops, seems you're gonna live."

"You don't have to sound so disappointed you know." Kakashi said with frown.

"Think of it as replacement for today's 'I hate you'." Jagaa said with a light smirk before turning back to the Genin. "Naruto! Get your ass over here so I can check your arm!"

"All right, all right, I'm coming." The boy said as he walked over to the three Jounin with his left arm across his chest and gingerly holding his dangling right. "I can tell you right now that it's dislocated though." He grunted painfully as Jagaa took the arm in hand and started feeling along its length.

"Yeah, that's fairly obvious." Jagaa commented loudly, his voice then dropping low so that only Naruto and the other two Jounin could hear. "It's also broken and needs to be set. I know it'll be healed by tomorrow since it's you, but it would draw a lot of questions you probably don't want. You know what that means right?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah. It means I'm in for a lot of pain."

"Yep." Jagaa said in a much louder voice. "Relocating your shoulder is gonna hurt like hell, but at least you'll still be able to use your arm." An almost unnoticeable smirk made its way to his face, and the other Jounin could just make out the veiled amusement in his voice. "Good thing it wasn't broken too, huh."

Naruto growled slightly at the man. "Yeah, especially since any arm injuries were _your_ fault for throwing me so damn hard."

"Hey, it was your bright idea." Jagaa defended calmly. "You should have braced yourself better." Jagaa reached up and gripped around Naruto's bicep with his left hand even as he discreetly wrapped his right around the middle of the boy's forearm. "You ready?"

"Not really." Naruto gritted out as he prepared for the coming pain.

This time Jagaa's smirk appeared in full force. "Sucks to be you then." With a firm downward jerk and sharp push forward, Naruto's joint popped back into place audibly, drowning out the quieter crack of his bone being set with a quick twist of Jagaa's wrist.

Naruto screamed in pain and started hurling obscenities at Jagaa that no twelve year old should know, much less say, as he gripped his throbbing arm tightly near the shoulder. Naruto's reaction caused Ino, Hinata, and Kiba to flinch violently at the thought of how much pain he must have just been in, and even managed to pull both Sasuke and Sakura out of their trance like states to stare at the sunny-blonde in shock.

"See." Jagaa said with his smirk still in place. "That wasn't so bad. Was it?"

The glare Naruto sent his brother could have melted steel. "Fuck you, Nii-san! I hope you burn in the deepest pit of hell for all eternity while being fucked up the ass by some giant sized fag named Teddy." Several mouths fell open in shock at the boy's declaration, including Tazuna's, who had just arrived on the scene, drawn by the cry of pain.

"Teddy?" Jagaa asked in amusement, not seeming phased in the least by Naruto condemning him to eternal damnation.

"…Shut up. It was the first name that came into my head." Naruto grumbled.

Jagaa chuckled lowly but his expression soon became serious again and he turned to Tazuna. "Hey, Tazuna, do you think you'll be able to fit Kakashi in somewhere on the wagons. He's not gonna be able to move for a while, let alone walk."

Brought out of his stupor at Naruto's language, Tazuna hastily agreed. "Sure. We should be able to find a place for him. Hell, I'll carry him myself if I have to."

"Thanks." Jagaa said appreciatively before continuing in a more professional tone. "By the way, I think it's safe to take the most direct route to your village now. I can pretty much guarantee that we cleared out any and all of Gatou's hirelings."

Tazuna nodded and bent down to hoist Kakashi up and support him on his shoulder. "Good. That means we should be able to be there by tonight, instead of tomorrow evening."

"Good to hear." Jagaa responded and turned to the Genin. "You six go help them in anyway you can to get us on the road quicker. Once we start moving, Hinata and Sasuke take point, Sakura and Ino stay midway, and Kiba and Naruto guard the rear. Any questions?" The six Genin shook their heads and Jagaa nodded. "All right, get to it then." The six Genin all nodded and started following Tazuna, who was supporting Kakashi, back to the wagons, Sasuke and Sakura each trailing at a much slower pace than the rest.

Watching the final two in the group for a moment, Jagaa turned and moved back to Kurenai. "All right, I finally have time pull these things out." Jagaa gently traced the area around a few of the needles with the tip of his fingers. "Yep, it's a good thing we didn't rush to do it though. Haku targeted specific muscles in your leg that could have left them useless if we'd just ripped the needles out. As it stands though, you should just be sore for a couple hours, a day at most, and then you'll be fine."

"How do you know all that?" Kurenai asked, another unwanted blush rising on her face. She knew Jagaa was only examining the wounds, but the soft caresses of Jagaa's finger tips were sending frighteningly pleasurable shivers down her spine.

"Because that damn girly boy did the same thing to me once when I insulted Bandage Face." Jagaa said with a low growl. "I swear. That's the _last_ time I let needles hit me on purpose just because I don't think they'll do a lot of damage."

"Caught by your own overconfidence, huh." Kurenai smiled mischievously. Strangely happy to see a bit of the Jagaa she was used to surfacing again. "I guess that's what they call 'Just rewards'."

"Yeah, maybe." Jagaa said with a small laugh, surprising the woman yet again with his lack of a comeback. "Now hold still. This is going to sting." Gripping a needle firmly, Jagaa carefully pulled it from the woman's leg. Kurenai gasped and put her hand on Jagaa's shoulder, squeezing tightly as he removed another with slow and meticulous movements. Finally, after what felt like hours to the pained woman, Jagaa pulled the last needle out of her right calf. "Okay, hard parts over." Jagaa said lightly placing his hands over the wounds where they once again started glowing a soft green. "I can't do much about the bruising, which is the main reason your legs still won't work well right away, but I can at least close the wounds."

Kurenai propped her hands behind her so she could lean back as she watched the puncture marks in her legs fade quickly from Jagaa's administrations due to their small size. "You know, with all those scars you have, I'm actually surprised that you _know_ any medical jutsu."

"Is that so?" Jagaa said with a small smirk. "Then you'll be really surprised to know that the one that taught me basic medical jutsu, was one of the people that _gave_ me most of the injuries that caused these scars."

Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. "Are you serious?"

Jagaa laughed at the woman's response. "Yep. It was one hell of a fight too, but surprisingly, none of us were killed. Hell, we even ended up becoming friends when it was all said and done. Kind of like one of those 'Fateful Meetings' people like to talk about." Jagaa shook his head with another low laugh as he continued. "Anyway, once the fight was over, I started taking care of my wounds in my usual way, and I guess the shock of how I did it inspired Hitomi, the one who taught me, to give me some crash courses in healing techniques." Jagaa moved to another wound as he finished, closing it within moments.

"What did you mean by your 'Usual' way?" Kurenai questioned.

"I'll tell ya some other time." Jagaa replied as the glow around his hand faded away. "There. That's the last of them." He declared proudly.

Kurenai gingerly touched her legs and made an attempt to stand, only for her legs to immediately buckle and send her back to the ground. "…It seems you were right about not being able to walk." She grudgingly admitted.

"I told you so." Jagaa smirked, and Kurenai turned away with a huff, crossing her arms in front of her. The next thing she knew there was something sliding under her legs and lower back in a familiar way, and Kurenai snapped her head back around. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Jagaa paused in his attempt to pick the woman up and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I'm gonna carry you again, obviously. Or did you already forget that you can't even stand, let alone walk."

Kurenai could feel the heat rising to her face again, and it was _really_ starting to irritate her that it kept happening. Especially when it was _Jagaa_ of all people that was causing it. "Right." She agreed grudgingly. "Fine, just take me to the wagons and I'll ride in one of them."

"Nope." Jagaa replied with a smirk, making the woman gape at him. "Seeing as we're partners, it would be _terribly_ bad manners of me to dump you off on the clients, right? No, no, it is only proper that I carry my teammate as a true partner should." Jagaa grasped his chin and nodded several times. "Yep, it's only right."

Kurenai was glaring daggers at the dirty-blonde. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Immensely." Jagaa said with a wide grin and Kurenai had to restrain the urge to go for a Kunai. "So, Bridal or Piggyback, which do you prefer?"

"You're really going to force me to let you carry me?" Kurenai asked in disbelief, receiving a mischievous grin in response. Finally she sighed and raised her arms. "Fine, then at least make it piggyback." Smirking triumphantly, Jagaa turned around and helped the woman hoist herself onto his back. "Your hands better not stray anywhere further than my thighs this time." Kurenai warned dangerously. "You don't have to carry Kakashi anymore."

"Ahh." Jagaa mock pouted before looking with a small smile. "Just kidding. Don't worry, Kurenai, I won't do anything today. We're still on the job after all."

Kurenai's breath caught in her throat when Jagaa addressed her by name for the first time since they had met. She didn't know why he did, or what it could mean that he had, but for some reason it filled her chest with a strange, comfortable warmth.

"But seriously," Jagaa said suddenly, snapping Kurenai out of her thoughts, "who would have thought I could play the 'Knight in Shining Armor' role so well. I mean seriously. Here I am rescuing damsels in distress and carrying injured princesses on my back like a true gentleman. I just hope you don't fall head over heals in love with me because of my considerate nature and over all charm. I'm not interested in getting into a relationship after all."

And just like that, the warm feeling was gone, replaced by rising irritation. "I _can_ strangle you from this position you know." Kurenai emphasized by tightening her grip around Jagaa's neck.

Jagaa just laughed as he walked towards the wagons with his fuming passenger on his back.

X X X X X

Joyful shouts sounded throughout the convoy as they traveled up the main road of the small fishing town they had arrived at. All around them, lights and homes flared into life, lighting up the darkness as people rushed from their homes and welcomed the arrivals with cheers and applause.

"This is quite the welcoming." Kakashi said in an impressed tone as he leaned against the improvised side wall that had been made to keep from falling out of the seat of the wagon. They had been unable to find a spot to lay him down due to the number of other injuries, but Kakashi seemed content with the arrangement.

Tazuna turned to the silver haired man with a proud, yet grim expression. "I've said it many times. This bridge is everything to us. So naturally it would be well received. I can also guarantee that at first light tomorrow, every able bodied person who can help in some way will be working on completing it, even those of us on this convoy."

Kakashi nodded, but didn't say anything else.

"This is amazing." Ino said in awe as the cheers and applause filled the air. "The whole village is turning out to welcome everyone."

"Yeah." Kiba agreed. "I know it's not really for us, but it feels pretty good to be part of the side getting the welcome."

"Sure does." Naruto grinned as he looked around. "By the way, where's Nii-san?"

"PUT ME _DOWN_ ALREADY!" Kurenai's angry scream rose even above the noise of the welcoming. "I CAN WALK NOW DAMN IT!"

"You know, you're being pretty bitchy considering you were the one who was sleeping while I did all the walking!" They heard Jagaa retort. "I was even nice enough not to complain while you were drooling all over my-gah-keh-uge-guh!"

"DIE! DIE! JUST _DIE_!" Kurenai screamed over the sounds of Jagaa being strangled.

"Oh, there he is." Naruto said brightly, appearing completely unconcerned about his brothers dwindling oxygen supply and causing a sweatdrop to form on Ino, Kiba, and Hinata's foreheads.

"Those two are a strange pair of brothers." Ino commented to Hinata in a whisper, to which the Hyuuga girl just nodded.

A ways behind them, Sakura was watching her fellow Genin with something close to a glare. She didn't know why, but she felt resentful to the four in front of her for seeming so relaxed. Wasn't it less than twelve hours ago that all of them had been fighting for their lives against hundreds of hired bandits, and yet now they were happily joking and admiring the welcome as if it had never happened.

It just didn't seem right.

Grunting almost resentfully, Sakura turned away from the four and looked over to Sasuke. She felt a small amount of relief to see that he to seemed bothered by the situation, just in a different way judging by the way he was so intently staring at the ground, his eyes troubled and clouded. Thinking that this would be a good chance to talk to him alone, Sakura turned to walk over to the Uchiha, when the image of a giant fireball bearing down on her flashed through the girls mind.

Sakura froze mid-step, a cold chill running through her body. Unconsciously she wrapped her arms around herself as she stared into the ground with wide, dilating eyes as her mind replayed everything. She could still feel the heat from the orange flames as they crashed against the wall of earth. She could hear the sound of burning the vegetation as the knowledge that it could have been _her_ burning instead filled her mind. If it hadn't been for Naruto…Sakura shuddered, unable to bring herself to finish the thought.

"Hey, Nee-chan."

Sakura was snapped back into the present and she looked down to find a young boy wearing an old metal helmet, a quiver of crossbow bolts slung across his back, and resting the actual crossbow on his right shoulder.

"You okay, Nee-chan?" The boy asked. "You don't look so good."

Sakura shook her head a little to clear her thoughts and gave the boy the best smile she could manage. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking though." She said in a forced, cheerful voice.

The boy grinned and scratched his nose with his free left hand. "That's good. I was worried when I saw that big fireball flying at you. I couldn't shoot that like I could the goons that had been trying to hurt you."

Sakura's jaw dropped and her eyes widened to impossible sizes. "That was _you_!" She gasped out, too shocked to manage a yell.

The boy's grin widened and he held out his hand. "Yep. The names Inari. Nice to meet you Nee-chan."

"S-Sakura." The girl responded holding out her hand automatically. "M-my name is Sakura." The pink haired girl couldn't believe that the young boy in front of her had really been the one who had saved her numerous times during the battle. He couldn't be more than ten years old, and every shot that had prevented her own injury had been fatal for her attackers. How could such a young boy, a civilian no less, have been able to take the life of another human, and now stand here grinning at her as if he had done it many times before.

"Okay, well, see ya later, Sakura-nee-chan." Inari said with his grin still emplace. "I have to get home and let Kaa-chan know I'm okay." The boy turned and ran a few meters but quickly stopped and turned around raising his left hand in a pleading way and closing one eye conspiratorially. "Oh, and do you think you could keep it a secret that I helped in the fight. Kaa-chan is already gonna be mad enough at me for sneaking onto the bridge convoy. She may ground me forever if she finds out about _that_." Sakura nodded dumbly in response and the boy grinned wider and ran off while waving back at her. "Thanks a ton, Sakura-nee-chan! Bye bye!"

Sakura almost fell to her knees in disbelief as she watched the young boy run off. How could this really be happening? She had been saved, multiple times, by a little boy who couldn't be older than ten, while she, who was supposed to be the trained Ninja, had barely been able to do more than act as a hindrance against the attackers. How could a civilian child have the resolve to kill someone, even from a distance, and yet she could not even though it had been her job, her_ mission,_ to protect those of the convoy.

Even if it meant killing.

"Nii-san/Jagaa, stop flirting while you're on the job/mission!" Naruto and Kurenai's voices shouted simultaneously.

"I'm not flirting!" Jagaa yelled back indignantly. "I'm just trying to improve relations with the local populace!" His voice dropped but Sakura was just close enough to here him as he turned back to the woman he had been talking to. "So, how interested are _you_ in improving _relations_?"

"NII-SAN/JAGAA!"

For a moment, Sakura almost felt like laughing at the exchange, but her amusement was quickly drowned in weight of her melancholy. After all, how could she laugh, when she was so close to crying?

"Shinobi rule number 35, a Ninja must never display their emotions." Sakura whispered to herself as she fought with everything she had to follow that one rule.

She could at least do that much.

X X X X X

"YOU FOOLISH OLD MAN! HOW COULD YOU NOT EVEN NOTICE THAT YOUR OWN GRANDSON HAD SNUCK ON BOARD YOUR WAGONS!?" A woman with dark hair and black eyes, which were currently narrowed in fury, screamed at the top of her lungs at a cowering Tazuna.

Both the Jounin and Genin of Konoha were standing off to the side out of the angry woman's line of sight to hopefully avoid her motherly wrath as they watched the sweating Tazu. Inari, the boy Sakura had just met and also the boy in question, had edged into the group as well and was hiding behind the Jagaa's legs as he supported Kakashi on his shoulder, apparently deciding the scared man would be the best defense against his angry mother should she direct her attention at him.

"B-b-but, Tsunami-chan, h-how was I supposed to know that he had snuck on board." Tazuna pleaded his defense. "I had a lot of other things I had to keep track of, and nobody ever told me that they had seen him-"

"DON'T TRY TO PASS OFF YOUR FAILURE AS A GRANDFATHER BY BLAMING THE CIRCUMSTANCES!" Tsunami shouted, somehow increasing the volume of her voice again and causing everyone watching to wince.

After what seemed like another half an hour, but was probably more like ten minutes, the woman finally stopped shouting insults and lectures at her cringing father, the woman snapped around and narrowed her eyes on her son. "And _you_!" The boy yelped and hid further behind Jagaa as his mother bore down on him. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? HOW COULD YOU SNEAK ALONG WHEN YOU WERE TOLD HOW DANGEROUS IT COULD BE!?"

Inari gulped as he gathered his courage to face his furious mom and peeked out from behind Jagaa's legs and spoke in a strange mixture of defiance and fear as he looked up at her. "Because… Because Tou-chan would have gone."

The woman who had been a towering storm of fury only moments before was stopped cold by the boy's words, her eyes becoming hazy with a far away look. Catching herself, Tsunami quickly shook her head and hardened her gaze on the boy again. "I don't care what he would have done! You're too young to be putting yourself in harms way like that!"

There was an audible snort and every head in the room turned to Naruto who looked like he was trying not to laugh. "What?" He asked at the questioning stares. "I was doing missions with Nii-san when I was seven and made my first kill when I was eight. So I don't really buy the whole, 'Too Young' thing."

Naruto turned his head to look directly at Tsunami, his blue eyes going serious. "Age doesn't matter when you have something you're fighting for. If you have something you believe in, or something to protect, you fight for it no matter _how_ old you are."

Tsunami was momentarily taken aback by Naruto's mature response, but her motherly instinct quickly kicked back in and she met his gaze with her own. "That may be true for a Ninja, but he's just a normal boy. He's not strong enough to do things like that."

Naruto's gaze didn't falter in the slightest. "If you're not strong enough, then become stronger. If you're not fast enough, then become faster. If you're not smart enough, then gain wisdom. Those are the words you live by if you have something to protect or fight for." Naruto brought up his right hand and formed a tight fist that whitened his knuckles. "It doesn't matter if you're a Ninja or a civilian, an adult or a child. You have to protect what you hold dear by your own strength."

All but one pair of eyes widened in amazement as they stared at the sunny-blonde boy. For those that knew him, it was yet another shock of how different and mature the boy had somehow become since leaving Konoha for the mission. Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari however, were struggling to keep their emotions under control as the boy's statement reminded them of a certain person.

"Heh, nice speech, Brat." Jagaa said with a smirk, cutting off the silence that had settled into the room.

Naruto smirked back at his older brother cheekily. "I thought you might like it. It was _yours_ after all."

Jagaa's smirk widened slightly but he made no comment.

There was a muffled sniffing and the Konoha Ninja looked over to see Tsunami wiping her eyes while Tazuna's own eyes had become glassy as he stared at the bottle of Sake in his hand and Inari came out from behind Jagaa's legs to stare at Naruto with a mixture of admiration and sorrow.

Naruto started to get distinctly uncomfortable and looked over to Jagaa in confusion. "Did I do something wrong?" Jagaa just shrugged, causing Kakashi to grunt as due to the ripple of pain that ran through him from the movement.

"Oh, no, you didn't do anything wrong." Tazuna said quickly, wiping his moistened eyes. "No, it was just that your words reminded us all of the person who is considered a hero in this village." Tazuna turned and motioned for the group to follow him as he started walking towards the back of the living room to a set of double doors. Once everyone had gathered behind him, the old man pushed the doors open.

Several gasps arose from the group of Ninja at the interior of the room they were being shown. The walls had been lined with numerous shelves, each filled from end to end with a beautiful assortment of flowers and two softly glowing round lanterns hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room with an almost mystical light. In the back of the room on an ornate stand was a large picture of a dark haired man with his right arm held up in front of him and his left hand holding his bicep. It was clear by his rough, weathered features, darkly tanned skin, well defined muscles from strenuous work, and the single piece of white rope around his head that the man had most likely been a fisherman for the village. The only real oddity marking him from any other fisherman you would see throughout a port city was the several scars that adorned his arms and the single one on his chin. However, despite this unknown man's rough appearance, the man's eyes held a friendly warmth that mingled with his good natured smile and gave him the image of a reliable friend.

"This man's name was Kaiza. He was a drifter that came to our town to be a fisherman and ended up becoming a part of our family. He was also the one who came to be know as the Wave's Hero." Tazuna declared with a sadness tinged pride. " The reason your speech affected us so much, was because he used to always say that you should protect what you hold dear with your own two arms. Similar to protecting it with your own strength don't you think." Tazuna sniffed a little as he continued. "Before Gatou's arrival, he earned the title of a Hero when he saved the entire village from being washed away in a flood by braving the raging waters and making it possible to close the floodgates just in time." Tazuna's voice dropped, fading almost too much to hear. "But it was after Gatou came that he truly did become our Hero…at the cost of his life."

/Flashback/

_The villagers gathered around the chain link fence that had been erected in the center of town and stared horror struck as the one they thought of as a hero to their town hung beaten and bloodied from the cross he was tied to. The strong arms that he had proudly declared so many times that he would use to protect what he held dear were gnarled and bruised making it painfully clear that they had been broken in several places._

_In the front of the crowd, pressed up against the fence, Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami watched with tears streaming down their faces as they helplessly looked on._

_An ugly little man that looked like a cross between a troll and a human walked up beside the cross wearing a suit and a pair of round sunglasses and looked amongst the gathered crowd with a smirk of confidence and contempt as he started to speak. "This man has disrupted the peace and order of this town by breaking into my company and physically attacking my men." The ugly man's smirk widened sickeningly as he looked up to the man on the cross. "He will now be executed. I just hope that something like this will never happen again." Still smirking the trollish man turned to walk away when he was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a low, pain filled laugh and turned back to the man on the cross. "What are you laughing at? You're about to die." He spat contemptuously._

"…_You…really are…pathetic." Kaiza said with a pained smile on his face as he looked down at Gatou. "Do you really think…you can take over this country…like this?"_

"_Of course." Gatou sneered up at the man. "You'll serve as the example of what happens to anyone who crosses me and fear will do the rest. This country will be mine soon enough."_

_Kaiza smiled almost pityingly at the little man. "If that's what you think…then it shows how much of a fool you really are." Kaiza's voice steadied and gained strength with every word he spoke. "The people of this country won't just let you walk over them without a fight. They'll protect their homes and their loved ones from a monster like you."_

_A low murmur filled the air at Kaiza's words and Gatou quickly turned back to the gathered crowd, his eyes widening. Throughout the gathered townspeople, Gatou could see their eyes changing from being filled by a deep fear at what they were _seeing_, to a slowly hardening resolve at what they were _hearing_._

_Kaiza took notice of the change as well and raised his voice to address the gathered people. "Do not let fear or doubt control you! Only you can, the people of this village, can protect it from people like him! For the sake of yourselves! For the sake of your children! For the sake of your grandchildren! Protect what you hold dear by the strength of your own arms!" Kaiza lowered his head slightly and fixed his un-swollen eye on Inari, a calm smile rising to his face. "For the sake of the people you love. Fight!"_

_Inari's eyes widened as he stared into the steady eye of the man that had become his father, his tears stopping as he felt the man's inner strength and resolve wash over him like a comforting hug.  
_

_Throughout the crowd, eyes hardened and fists clenched tightly as the words of the beaten man worked deeply into their minds and hearts. Along the front rows many people began grabbing and shaking the fencing that separated them from the man tied to the cross, the sound of grating metal and cracking concrete signaling the effectiveness of their angry efforts._

_Gatou's eyes widened behind his glasses and he fearfully took a few steps back, unable to believe that the short speech of a dieing man had riled the townspeople up to this extent. Turning quickly to the nearest guard, Gatou pointed urgently at Kaiza. "Shut him up!" The trollish man snarled. Smirking happily, the guard drew his Katana and stabbed it into Kaiza's chest without hesitation._

_The shaking stopped and the crowed stilled as they all stared on in horror, the shock of seeing the man they had been hoping to rescue being stabbed through the lung halting them in their movement. However, before Gatou could feel any pleasure in the silence of the crowd, an animal like roar ripped through the air and his head snapped over to the impaled man._

_His eye narrowed in pain and blood dripping from his mouth, Kaiza let out another savage roar as he ripped through the ropes binding his legs to the cross in an inhuman feat of strength and will. Glaring down and the frightened little man, Kaiza's bloodied right leg shot into the tycoons face, severely breaking his nose and sending the little man reeling backwards and into the ground where he lay screaming in pain. Kaiza's glare softened into a bold confidence and a proud smile rose to his face that couldn't even be marred by the blood dripping from his mouth as he spoke down the screaming man. "Just…a little…something…to remember me… by…" Even as his words faded, Kaiza's bloody smile never left his face as his head slowly dropped to hang limply over his chest, never to rise again._

_Cries of grief and rage filled the air and the assault on the dividing fence was renewed with unimaginable force. Within seconds, the poles holding the fence gave way under the mass of people, falling to the ground in a crash of metal as the crowed charged forward with hate in their eyes, picking up poles, rocks, and anything else that could be used as a weapon._

_Panic gripped the Gatou's men as they saw the mass of angry townspeople bearing down on them. With screams of fear they turned and ran for their lives towards the harbor, the one who had stabbed Kaiza pausing just long enough to scoop up his injured boss before fleeing to the emergency ship, leaving behind the few that had not reacted fast enough and were being beaten to death by the very people they had sought to intimidate. Making it to the ship with little distance between him and the murderous mob, the grunt kicked the gangplank off the ship and ducked behind the sidewall as rocks and metal rained down around them._

"_GO! GO!" Gatou screamed to the captain as he covered his head, ducking down next to the underling that had saved his life to avoid the projectiles, blood still flowing freely from his broken nose. "I promise you! This isn't over!" Gatou swore as the ship started pulling away. "I'll get this country under my control if it's the last thing I do!"_

_Back on the pier, the masses were finally forced to accept Gatou's escape and turned back to the town, a somber silence falling over them as they began encircling the area and staring sadly at the scene before them._

_Cut down from the cross he had been bound to, Kaiza now lay on the concrete with his head cradled gently in Tsunami's lap as the woman cried silently, her tears dripping off her cheeks and onto Kaiza's pale face. Inari's own tears were far from silent as the young boy clasped his father's in his own two small ones, his grieved wails cutting through the silence of the onlookers as he clutched it to his chest while Tazuna stood off to the side, his own tears freely running down his cheeks._

_And through it all, the gathered townspeople could only watch. Watch as a family cried for the loss of someone dear to them. However, even as they stood in respectful silence, the people of the Wave could not forget the bravery of the man that now lay lifeless amongst his loved ones and his determination to fight for the very end for what he believed in. Many people that day were forced to look inside themselves that day and ask if they too would be willing to fight that hard for the people they loved and the place they called home._

_Looking down at the calmly smiling face of the man that had done just that, they found their answer, and that answer would hold firm in their hearts from that day forward._

/Flashback End/

Tazuna fell silent as he finished his story, unshed tears glistening in his aged eyes as he gazed on Kaiza's picture alongside Inari and Tsunami as they too tried to hold back their resurfacing pain while the Konoha Ninja watched in respectful silence.

"...Fighting to the very end." Jagaa said in a low, commending tone, finally breaking the quiet. "I can appreciate that."

Tazuna sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Yes. He was an amazing man, and a true hero." Shaking his head slightly, Tazuna looked up to the Ninja and gave them what was obviously a forced smile followed by an equally forced cheerful tone. "Well, I just felt like I should show you this and explain why we are fighting against Gatou so hard, but I really think it's time that we should all try to get some rest. We've had a long trip and work is going to resume on the bridge at first light tomorrow." Tazuna moved through the group and out of the room, gesturing for the Konoha Ninja to follow him. "I'll show you all to the rooms you can use." With a few nods of acceptance, the gathered Ninja fell in step behind the old man, none of them making comment on his change in demeanor.

Taking up the rear of the group, Naruto paused just before leaving passing through the doorway and looked back at the remaining two figures. Just in front of Kaiza's picture, Tsunami was on her knees as she and Inari clung to each other, their eyes closed and their teeth clenched and their tears quietly rolled down their cheeks.

Ocean blue eyes hardened, taking on an icy haze as he watched the scene until finally turning away and walking out of the room.

X X X X X

"Why do we have to wait a week!?" Naruto demanded as he and Jagaa stood on the small dock connected to Tazuna's house under the crescent moon.

"Because I said so." Jagaa said with a tired sigh. Honestly he knew that Naruto wouldn't be happy about the delay, but he had hoped the boy would be more open-minded. "Just trust me on this. Okay, Brat?"

Naruto glared at his older brother for some time before finally letting out an explosive breath. "Fine, but what am I supposed to do while we're waiting?"

"Why don't you train?" Jagaa recommended, idly scratching his chin. "You're not on restriction anymore because of your Genin status, so now's a good time to get familiar with some of your more powerful techniques again."

All trace of anger vanished from Naruto's face as his eyes lit up in excitement. "You're right! I had completely forgotten about that! I mean, sure, I was using chakra to enhance myself during the fight with Gatou's goons, but I didn't even think about the fact I could use some of my badass techniques to take them out!"

"…That's probably a good thing then." Jagaa said with a slight frown. "You tend to get carried away when you're excited."

"I'm not _that_ bad." The boy protested to which Jagaa just shrugged. "So what are _you_ going to be doing for a week then?" Naruto questioned, hoping for some kind of explanation for the delay.

His brother's evil grin was all the answer the boy needed.

X X X X X

Sunlight fell through the curtain in her borrowed room, casting its golden glow upon Kurenai's face and rousing her back into the waking world. Slowly pushing herself up from the futon she stretched her arms high over her head, dropping her left arm to give a little extra tug on her right and enjoying the overall sensation. Finishing her stretch, Kurenai removed the blanket covering her lower half and reached down to rub her legs lightly, smiling when she didn't feel any residual pain from the needles that had impaled them the day before.

'_I guess he really did know what he was talking about._' She thought, her smile becoming a little softer as she remembered Jagaa's reassurances that her legs would be fine. As she was thinking about her partner, he smile turned into a small frown as she realized something else from the day before. '_I never did thank him for saving me. I'll have to remember to do that today. I owe him at least that much…no matter how much of pain in the ass he is._' Nodding to herself in resolve, Kurenai rose from her sleeping place to find her partner Jounin.

Upon arriving at the room Jagaa was supposed to be sharing with Kakashi, Kurenai could admit she wasn't too surprised to find that the scarred man wasn't there. What did bother her though, was when Kakashi revealed to her that Jagaa hadn't come to the room and slept at all the night before. Still, she honestly didn't know Jagaa's sleeping habits very well, so it could be normal for him to, say, fall asleep sitting on the couch, or out on the porch, or even on the roof as even she had done a couple times while looking at stars. Feeling a bit more at ease at the possibilities, she resumed her search for her wayward teammate.

Unfortunately, her unease didn't stay away long as, upon further exploration of the house, Kurenai found that not only Jagaa, but her entire _team_ was missing. Neither Ino nor Sakura had been in the room that had been designated for the Kunoichi Genin to share, and Hinata admitted that the three of them had gone to bed at the same time last night, but the Hyuuga girl had woken up the only one in the room and that was the same story for Sasuke as well. Kiba telling her that the Uchiha had gone to bed the same time as him but was gone when he woke up.

Starting to feel a bit panicky at the absence of her team, Kurenai began her search with new vigor, going to absolutely every room in the house on by one, not caring who she may walk in on or disturb. It was because of this process she stumbled across a rather unusual sight, a sight that did nothing what so ever to alleviate her current worry.

In a small room that was probably used for storage, Naruto was dressed in what looked like priest robes and kneeling down in front of three crudely drawn crayon pictures of Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino, slowly waving an olive branch in front of him and chanting in a low tone. Cautiously stepping into the room, Kurenai spoke in a gentle voice so as not to startle the boy. "Naruto, what are you doing in here?"

Pausing in his chant, Naruto looked back at the woman with a somber expression. "Oh, it's you, Kurenai-sensei. Well, you see, Nii-san said last night that he was going take Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino on a week long survival training trip." Turning back to the pictures, Naruto raised his olive branch again. "So I'm praying for their souls."

Kurenai paled.

X X X X X

Somewhere deep in the forest the night before

Three pained grunts sounded as three burlap sacks were dropped unceremoniously on the forest floor followed several splashing sounds as the ones carrying them turned into puddles of water. After several moments of struggling, the first of the three sacks opened to reveal the raven haired form of Uchiha Sasuke as he crawled out of his burlap prison, followed soon by Sakura and Ino as they to escaped their confinement.

"What the hell is going on?" Ino demanded, coughing several times from the proximity of her face to the ground. "Did the enemy get us?"

"Nope." A familiar voice replied in a smug tone. "But you _can_ think of this as a lesson as to why you need to train your danger senses better. I was practically pouring hostile intent before I shoved the three of you in those sacks and not one of you even flinched. At least Kiba started to stir and Hinata almost caught me."

"Jagaa-sensei!?" Ino shouted, jumping to her feet and pointing at the man. "What do you mean and why did you bring us out here?" Behind her Sasuke and Sakura also climbed to their feet, their glares at the scarred man demanding answers.

"Okay, since you asked." Jagaa started, adjusting his sunglasses in a professional manner, "To be brutally honest, your performances during the attack today, well, sucked." The three Genin bristled at Jagaa's words but he continued before they could protest. "So, in order to prevent being embarrassed again by the team I'm partially in charge of, we're going to have a week long crash course in keeping your cool in stressful situations." Jagaa flashed the three of them a sinister smile that sent chills down their spines.

"Welcome to Hell, boys and girls."

**A/N:** Well, there it is, all **22,534** words of it, not including A/N, making it the longest chapter I have ever written by at least 4,000 words. It may not stay on top for long though, because with everything I want to put into the next chapter, it could become just as long, if not longer. We'll see what happens.

On a final note, my muse and I have a bet going on how many reviews this chap will get, but since you would probably all side with her again just to spite me, I'm not telling you our guesses, so there.

…What? I'm not bullying the readers. I'm just trying to keep it fair since they seem to like you better than me. Wait a second! I didn't insult you or anything. I was just-Gah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!


	11. Learning and Growing

**A/N:** So how many of you are going "Holy Shit! He _finally_ updated again!"? Because I know I am. Oh, I think I should also tell everyone that had read the A/N I left before that I am, _Unintentionally_, a liar. I thought I would have all these new chapters to post since I would have so much time to write. Well, like I said, I'm a liar. As soon as I got back to the states, it was like I had so much to do again that I couldn't do before, that I just sort of fell away from writing. I'm pretty sure my muse went to the Bahamas without me to. The bitch.

Oh, then there was an incident with a fellow called **Naruto2.047 **who liked my profile SOOOO much, that he blatantly plagiarized it and put it on his own profile. Even going so far as to replace all reference to me (FTK) with his own pen name. Needless to say, I was less than pleased about that and lost all drive for writing for some time.

Then I started working and going to school again, and it just became that much harder to write. But worry not. It would appear that my muse, drawn by reviews of people wishing to see the stories continued, has returned from her vacation and is finally getting her lazy ass back to helping me write. Hooray!

Oh, and don't judge me to hard on this. Since it's been so FREAKING long since I updated, I just posted without looking it over to hard, so there may be a fair amount of mistakes. I'll just worry about that later though. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the newest chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Since it's been a while, I would like to remind you all that I don NOT, in fact, own Naruto. However, Jagaa and any other OC's in this fic belong to me. Despite SOME people (coughNaruto2.047cough) thinking it's okay to take them without asking.

**Chapter 11:** Learning and Growing

Kakashi dozed lightly under the rays of the morning sun, his sore body feeling relaxed and tranquil as the warm light washed over him. Yes, there was nothing quite as nice as being able to just laze around for a while when recovering from a difficult battle. Well, that may not be exactly true. It was when his body had recovered enough that he could read 'Icha Icha' again that he would truly be in heavenly bliss. Oh well, for now this was pretty good in its self. Just relaxing under the morning light, enjoying the peaceful silence.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE MIGHT KILL THEM!?" Kurenai's panicked voice echoed through the house and the surrounding area making the silver haired Jounin jump in surprise, a motion that sent fresh waves of pain through his worn body.

"It's not that he'll _try_ to kill them!" He heard Naruto defend in a frightened tone. "It's just that Nii-san isn't very good at holding back when it comes to training!" There was a reflective pause before the boy continued. "Well, maybe that's not right. It's more like, his idea of holding back is what other people consider attempted murder."

Kakashi heard what sounded like someone taking long, calming breaths before Kurenai's voice came again, this time with an air of being tightly controlled. "So, in your _honest_ opinion, how likely is it that one of my students could be seriously hurt?" There was a long pause in which the woman's question went unanswered. "Naruto?" She demanded.

"…Okay." Naruto started hesitantly. "Let's say, hypothetically of course, that I made a bet with Nii-san that he wouldn't be able to go a week without killing at least _one_ of them…and I was already planning a victory party." A spine chilling silence befell the room next to Kakashi, and he could swear he was picking up the scent of extremely profuse sweating. Then a shrill scream rang out that made Kakashi clasp his hands over his ears which was followed by what sounded like someone being strangled.

Slowly uncovering his stinging ears, Kakashi lowered his head back down to the pillow with a small smile. '_Then again, this is pretty entertaining as well._' He thought amusedly as he listened to the thumping sounds that he assumed was Naruto being repeatedly slammed against the wall while the Jounin woman shouted obscenities about irresponsible blonde brothers.

X X X X X

Kurenai sat at the kitchen table gnawing on the edge of her thumb worriedly. After she had finished venting her frustration on Naruto, something she felt somewhat guilty over despite the boy's similarity to his older brother, Kurenai had gone out searching for several hours for signs of her missing team but was unable to find any trace of them. Now, without any clues as to which direction or even how far they may have gone, the only thing the red eyed woman could do was wait and pray that her students were all right.

"I'm sure they're fine, Kurenai-sensei." A calm voice cut into her thoughts and she snapped her head up to look at Hinata who was casually drinking a glass of water as she read a book she had brought along with her. "Naruto was probably just exaggerating, as he tends to do. After all, he's been living with and being trained by Jagaa for years and he's still alive."

Kurenai sighed put her face in her hands. "I know that _logically_." She grumbled to the Hyuuga girl. "Even _he_ couldn't get away with killing a Genin he was in charge of because he was to excessive with training, but that doesn't make me any less worried. This _is_ Jagaa we're talking about. I mean, look at how _Naruto_ has turned out after being trained by him."

A loud crash met the woman's words followed by the distinct voice of an angry Naruto. "Who the fuck left this thing in the middle of the fucking hall!? Damn thing just tried to kill me!" Another loud crash followed the shout before Naruto's voice came again, this time sounding smug. "Hah! How do you like it you bastard!"

Hinata looked up from her book and gave Kurenai an understanding glance. "I see your point."

Both females fell into silence as Kurenai went back into her worried thoughts and Hinata to her book.

The sound of footsteps caught their attention and the two Kunoichi looked over to see Kiba walking through the entryway with Akamaru sleeping on top of his head. Kurenai's eyebrows raised a bit as she watched the boy walk around the table and sit next to his female teammate with a low "Hey" in greeting. She may not have known the Inuzuka as well as his teammates did, but even she could tell that there was something troubling the boy.

Not one to dance around the subject, Hinata snapped her book closed and looked over to Kiba with slightly narrowed eyes. "What's wrong?"

The Inuzuka jumped in surprise at the direct question, but quickly gave Hinata a confident smile. "What are you talking about, Hinata? I'm good as ever." The Hyuuga girls eyes narrowed further and the temperature in the room dropped significantly. Realizing that Hinata wasn't about to let him get off that easy, Kiba sighed and looked away. "I've just got a few things on my mind. That's all."

Hinata's piercing gaze never left Kiba's face making the boy squirm uncomfortably before she spoke again. "Is it about the battle yesterday?" The Inuzuka's flinch was all the confirmation she needed. Softening her gaze Hinata's voice became gentler. "Do you want to talk about it?"

At first Kiba hesitated, staring down at the table in front of him with troubled eyes. Just as Hinata was starting to think the Inuzuka boy was going to refuse to speak, she heard him take a deep breath. "…Yesterday…I killed someone."

Hinata's eyes widened slightly at the admission. She hadn't realized her teammate had actually taken a life during the battle, especially since he had acted so normal the night before. Then again, he may have somehow been repressing his troubles by focusing on the mission and getting everyone to the village. However, once they had all gone to bed and Kiba had nothing to distract him in the silence of the night, the memory and feelings of his first kill had most likely returned ten fold. Now that she looked at him closer, she could see the dark circles under his eyes that had been partially hidden by his well tanned skin. Closing her eyes for a moment, Hinata reached out a comforting hand and gently set it on his shoulder. "I can understand why that would bother you. To be honest, I killed a large amount of enemies yesterday as well."

Kiba's head snapped up to the Hyuuga girl. His expression going from troubled to incredulous. "You?" At Hinata's confirming nod his tone became almost accusing. "But you don't seem bothered at all about it."

Hinata's expression darkened, surprising both Kiba and Kurenai, and she turned her face away to look out the large window. "There are worse things you can have to do than kill a few nameless enemies."

Kurenai and Kiba exchanged a glance, unsure what the lavender eyed girl could be implying but before either of them could try to ask her what she meant, Hinata turned back to Kiba. "Have you spoken to Kakashi-sensei about it?"

Blinking a few times at her sudden change of direction, Kiba shook his head. "No. I didn't really feel up to it." Kiba raised his head to look up at the ceiling. "Also, I was thinking of talking to Naruto about it instead."

Kurenai's eyebrow raised as she spoke for the first time since the boy had entered. "Why Naruto?"

Kiba turned to the woman with a frown. "You didn't see him yesterday?" Not only Kurenai, but Hinata as well shook their heads in the negative. Kiba's frown deepened. "Yesterday, Naruto was killing those hired thugs like he'd been doing it for years. I didn't even see a trace of hesitation or doubt as he ripped through them. It was almost frightening how cool and controlled he was about it."

Kurenai's eyes widened. She knew that the boy had seemed more experienced and professional on the mission than she had expected due to his age, but she hadn't thought him to already be that efficient at taking lives.

"Now that I think about it," Hinata's voice drew the others attention and they looked over to the thoughtfully frowning Hyuuga. "Last night he did say that he killed someone for the first time when he was only eight years old."

"Yeah,' Kiba added, "I remembered that to. That's why I thought I'd ask him what it was like when he killed someone for the first time."

"I think I'd like to hear about it as well." Kurenai said, standing up from the table and surprising the two Genin. "Even during the war there weren't many Genin who had to kill somebody at that young of an age. I would like to know the circumstances." Kiba and Hinata quickly got up from the table as well and followed the Jounin as she started her search for their blonde teammate.

It only took a quick sweep of the house by the three of them to realize that Naruto must have gone somewhere since he was no longer present. After a few moments of thinking, Kiba suggested that they go check the nearest ramen stand, since that's where the sunny-blonde would most likely be found. After a quick agreement from the two Kunoichi, the three of them were about to head for the front door, when Hinata caught sight of someone through the window out of the corner of her eye and looked out to see Inari standing on the little dock in the back of the home and staring at something with wide, awestruck eyes. Catching the attention of Kiba and Kurenai, Hinata pointed out the somewhat strange sight to them, perking their own interest as to what the boy might be seeing. Putting aside their hunt for Naruto in favor of their curiosity, Kiba, Hinata, and Kurenai all exited through the back door and walked a little ways out into the dock to stand next to the boy, who remained completely unaware of their arrival due to his fixation on what he was seeing, and turned to follow his line of sight.

They instantly understood the boy's captivation as their own eyes widened at the scene before them.

Out on the water about fifty meters from the deck they were watching from, Naruto stood solidly on the shifting blue surface of the sea, his bare feet being gently washed by the cool liquid as it rose over his chakra infused soles from the side due to the shifting waters. His golden hair, damp from the soft spray of the water, hung unbound by his hitai-ate, making him appear older and more mature than they could have imagined as his wet, bare chest glinted softly in the morning light with his hands formed in the Dragon seal in front of him.

However, as strangely impressive as the sight of Naruto himself was, the thing that had made them all stop and stare in amazement was the two large Dragons rising out of the sea around him. Each one made from the very water on which the boy stood, their impressive and intimidating forms didn't rage through the waves or crash through air as one would expect from the well know attack, but instead moved around the boy slowly and gracefully as if just taking a relaxing swim.

As they watched, Naruto's brow furrowed in concentration and the two dragons rose high out the water into the air above him and started twirling around each other much faster. Breaking apart, the dragons formed a two separate arcs in opposite directions until they had both completed a half circle then shot back towards each other rapidly. Just before colliding head on, the water dragons each went into a large spiral, spinning around each other and creating a tightly woven tunnel of water through the air before they each shot straight into the air like giant pillars. Making a diagonal break from their direct ascension, the dragons intersect their paths, just barely missing each other, and traveled a good distance further before arching backwards and looping through the air so as to each pass through the opening left by the other. Diving downwards until they were level with the spiraled tunnel, each dragon banked left and started drawing separate halves of a halo encompassing the lower portion of the large design. However, just before they could connect, the dragons lost their shape, falling out of the sky along with their creation like sudden downpour of heavy rain.

Surprised by the abrupt ending to the aerial display, the four spectators looked back down to Naruto to see him bent over with his hands on his knees and panting heavily as the water rained down around him. It took only a few seconds for the water to finish its descent back to the sea and only few seconds more for Naruto to raise his head to look back at the pier where Kurenai, Hinata, Kiba, and Inari all stared at the blonde with dumbfounded expressions. A tired grin spread across the whiskered boy's face and he raised his arm to wave at his audience before making his way back across the water to the where they all were standing, his feet continuingly submerging several inches into the water as he moved, giving testament to how drained of chakra he currently was. Finally reaching the pier and climbing on to the wooden structure, Naruto grinned at them all again in greeting. "Hey, guys. When did you get here?"

"Screw that!" Kiba yelled in a way that sounded more like a bark, surprising the puppy on his head back into wakefulness with a startled yelp. "What the hell was _that?_!"

"Huh? Oh, the dragons." Naruto scratched the back of his head, his grin still in place. "I made them with an attack called _Suiryuudan no Jutsu_, but instead of just sending them off to smash through things, I try to control and manipulate them." Naruto paused before his grinned widened and became slightly feral. "Except during a fight. Smashing things to smithereens is a _must_ in a fight."

"Can you teach me to do that?" Inari asked excitedly, his eyes wide in hope and admiration.

Naruto shook his head and gave the boy a wink. "Sorry. It's a Ninja secret. You'll have to go through our academy and become a Ninja if you want me to teach you my super awesome techniques."

Inari's eyes widened even further in understanding and he spun around to dash back towards the house. "Kaa-chan! I want to be a Ninja! KAA-CHAAAAAN!"

The four Konoha ninja watched in amusement as the young boy disappeared into his home, still yelling for his mother at the top of his lungs. After a few moments of low laughter, Naruto addressed the other three. "So what did you all come out here for, and shouldn't somebody be with Tazuna on the bridge?"

"There's no need to worry today." Kurenai assured him. "Gatou lost a great deal of his forces in the battle yesterday, and Zabuza has shown that he has no intention of fighting three Jounin at once, even with the help of that ice user. So he won't make any rash moves."

"As long as he doesn't know Kakashi-sensei is bedridden and that Nii-san took off for a week." Naruto pointed out. "Speaking of bedridden…I _really_ need to sit down." Even before he finished the sentence, Naruto flopped onto the wooden deck with a sigh of relief. "It takes a lot out of you to try to control those dragons like that instead of just smashing them into something, but it makes it sooo much easier use in a fight and you can direct it more, making it that much harder to dodge." Looking back up at Kurenai, Naruto's voice became uneasy. "So what _did _you all come out here for then? I don't know where Nii-san took your team if that's what you're after. So torturing me for information won't do you any good."

Kurenai shook her head, a little embarrassed that her outburst that morning had made the boy wary of her. "No, that's not why we're looking for you. Actually," She indicated Kiba with a nod of her head, "it's your teammate that wanted to talk to you."

Naruto gave her a questioning look before turning to his Inuzuka teammate. "What's up, Kiba?"

Kiba hesitated, looking over to Hinata who nodded encouragingly. Looking back to his blonde teammate, Kiba took a deep breath and looked the other boy straight in the eye. "Naruto, what was it like when you killed somebody for the first time."

Naruto blinked a few times in surprise. Whatever he had been expecting the Inuzuka to want to talk to him about, that didn't seem to have been it. "Huh?"

Kiba looked to the ground and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, you see, during yesterday's fight, I…I killed someone." Naruto was visibly taken aback by the confession but didn't say anything, allowing Kiba to continue. "It was just…it was so fast. I mean, at first I was berating myself because I couldn't find the will to actually take a life, and then...I did." Kiba paused and took a calming breath. "As soon as I realized what I'd done, I felt sick, dirty…tainted. I mean, I know I did the right thing, since they wouldn't have hesitated to kill us if they got the chance, but I still…" Kiba trailed off, not sure how to put the rest of what he was feeling into words.

Silence filled the air around them as the Inuzuka finished speaking, the other Ninja lost in their own minds as they thought about the boy's words. Kurenai especially was having a difficult time with what she was hearing. She knew that being a Ninja meant taking life, but the thought that these children had seen and dealt death so early in their lives just didn't sit well with her. She could admit that she might be a bit bias though since, due to various circumstances, not the least of which including having had a Jounin Instructor trying her _damndest_ to keep her students from being put in danger or having to kill somebody for as long as possible due to her motherly nature, Kurenai had not personally taken a life until well into her fifteenth year. Still, it didn't seem fair that these children were being put in life and death situations already when they hadn't even been Genin for a year yet.

"You know. I'm kinda jealous." Kurenai, Kiba, and Hinata all snapped their heads over to stare at the sunny-blonde who had just spoken and was now staring up at the passing clouds, his eyes distant and reflective. "Since your first kill was in the heat of battle when your emotions were high and your adrenaline rushing, you can still take comfort in the fact that you reacted before you really had a chance to realize what you were doing and it'll be easier to come to terms with." The boy lowered his gaze to the expanding sea, his eyes becoming hard. "My first kill wasn't so pleasant. When I made my first kill…all my illusions were stripped away. All my childish ideas about being some kind of superhero and running around beating up the bad guys while the villagers cheered and praised me were replaced with the hard reality of just what being a true Shinobi means. Nii-san made sure of that."

///Flashback///

_An eight year old Naruto was panting lightly despite his large, satisfied grin as his opponent fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. It had only been two days since he and Jagaa had taken a job to escort a merchant and his goods to a neighboring village when they were attacked by a group of fifteen bandits. Normally Naruto wouldn't have had to even lift a finger with only fifteen average bandits, but apparently Jagaa had decided to let Naruto earn his pay by purposely letting a few of them get through for the boy to deal with. Still, those few had turned out to barely offer the boy a challenge as he dodged their weapons and easily knocked them unconscious in an instant with solid blows to their jaws and solar plexus, proving that his constant (Hellish) training with Jagaa was really paying off._

"_That was incredible! Truly incredible!" Their client cheered, running up and grasping Naruto's hand warmly. "They were absolutely no match for the two of you! I'm so happy that I hired such amazing people as my escort!" Naruto blushed heavily at the praise. Even after a year of being a way from Konoha, the boy still wasn't really used to being complimented or treated nicely._

"_I'm not giving you a discount no matter how much you try to flatter us, Boss." Jagaa said as he walked up from the side, earning a good natured smile from their employer._

"_Heavens no! If anything, I think you deserve a bonus." The man laughed._

"_Yeah? Well we'll see if you're still feeling so charitable once we get to the town tomorrow evening." Jagaa replied with smirk. "But for now, why don't you go back to your wagon and make sure everything's still accounted for while the brat and I tidy up the road a bit."_

"_Of course, of course." The client agreed readily. "It wouldn't do to just leave these ruffians lying in the middle of the street and causing problems for other travelers. Indeed, wouldn't do at all. I'll just leave it to you then shall I." With a cheery wave the client cantered off back to his wagon, leaving the two blondes behind._

"…_I've never met someone who managed to be so annoying and likable at the same time." Jagaa said with a shake of his head but soon after angled his face to the boy at his side. "Well, maybe _one_ other person. Anyway, come with me, Naruto."_

_Naruto looked up at the teenager curiously as he followed the older blonde. It was a bit strange for Jagaa to actually call him by name, usually just referring to him as 'Brat' or 'Chibi', so the whiskered boy had a feeling that his sensei had something important to talk to him about, which would also explain why he sent their client away. The whiskered boy had just started pondering what could be on the teen's mind, when the person in question's voice pulled him out of his thoughts._

"_Naruto." The boy snapped his eyes up to the taller figure. Once he knew he had the boy's attention, Jagaa pointed to a figure lying on the ground beside them. "Take a look at this guy and tell me what you think." Still not sure what was going on, Naruto moved closer to the scarred eighteen year old and looked at the wounded person on the ground._

_It was easy to see that the heavily breathing person was pretty badly wounded, but what surprised Naruto was that he wasn't very old, being in his late teens to early twenties at most. It had caught the boy off guard due to the fact the few bandits that Jagaa had allowed through for Naruto to deal with had easily been well into their thirties, possibly forties, so he had more or less assumed all of the attackers were about that old. The next thing the boy noticed was that the young man's complexion, despite being pale from blood loss, was tanned and weather beaten, but also seemed surprisingly gentle. No matter how hard he looked, Naruto just couldn't find trace of any of the hostility or cruelty that he'd come to associate with common highway bandits. Naruto had just started trailing his eyes over the prone persons cloths, noticing that they didn't seem to quite match a bandit's usual wardrobe either when Jagaa spoke again. "So, what do you think?"_

"…_I…I don't think he's a bad person." The boy admitted hesitantly. "I don't know why I think that, but I do."_

"_I agree." Jagaa's reply had Naruto brining his head up to look curiously at his scarred sensei who continued speaking. "I think I even have a probable background story for him. Wanna here it?" Naruto nodded and Jagaa continued. "This guy is most likely a farmer or a fisherman or something like that, who's been having a bad year and can't make ends meet. He was probably planning to try to do the right thing and find a legitimate way of making money, but then a family member got sick and he desperately needed money for medicine. With no other choices readily available, he joined a local group of bandits in hopes of making the money he needed as quickly as possible. This may have even been the very first time he's done a job with them." Jagaa paused, facing the unconscious young man. "But like I said, that's just a theory."_

"_So…what should we do then?" Naruto asked, looking back to the person on the ground. "If that's true, I think we should help him."_

"_No."_

_Naruto's head whipped back around to Jagaa, utter shock etched into his features. "What?"_

"_I said 'No'. We're not gonna help him." Jagaa's tone went cool and, as he spoke, the teen reached into the pouch strapped to his waist and pulled out a kunai that he then held out to Naruto handle first. "_You're_ going to kill him."_

_Naruto's eyes widened in horror and he took a step back, his arms coming up in front of him defensively. "Wh…what are you saying, Sensei. D-didn't you just say you didn't think he was a bad person?"_

"_I did." The scarred teen replied in the same cool tone._

"_Then…Then why do we have to kill him?" Naruto asked, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Shouldn't we try to help him so that he doesn't have to be a bad guy?"_

"_A 'Bad guy' you say?" Jagaa asked, his cool voice taking on an amused undertone along with the small smirk that formed on his lips. "Tell me, Naruto, is that all you think you'll ever be fighting as a Ninja? The 'Bad Guys'?"_

_Naruto's voice failed him at Jagaa's question. The truth was, that was _exactly_ who he expected to fight as a Ninja. In all his daydreams for as long as he could remember, Naruto would see himself systematically smashing through hordes of evil doing opponents with ease until he became the Hokage and won the respect of the villagers that had always scorned him. That was the only way he had _ever_ seen it playing out._

"_You really did, didn't you?" Jagaa asked. The amusement in his voice vanished and his tone became hard. "Naruto, the cold truth of it is that a great deal of the people you fight as a Ninja, especially Ninja from another village, will be just like this person. Good people who are just doing their job and trying to make some money to provide for themselves and their families." Jagaa paused for a moment, letting his words work deep into the boy's mind before continuing. "They will have parents, children, lovers, friends, hell even pets. All people they love and that love them in return. And every time you kill someone, you are stealing someone from their loved ones and their loved ones from them. Trust me when I say that there are very few people in this world that are truly evil and uncared for by anyone."_

_Jagaa paused again, this time almost looking hesitant, but it only lasted for a moment. "This holds an even greater weight for you, Naruto, because if you truly want to chase your dream of becoming Hokage you'll carry the lives of your _own_ friends and _their_ loved ones on your shoulders as well."_

_Naruto's eyes widened, his pupils going small. "…What do you mean?" He asked in a small voice._

"_I may never have been part of a village, but I understand how they work." Jagaa said, his tone staying firm. "And a Kage is more than just the strongest Ninja in the village. They carry a great deal of responsibility with that position, and one of those responsibilities is assigning missions to their subordinates…missions that those subordinates may not come back from alive." Naruto's face paled as he realized what Jagaa was saying, but the scarred teenager was far from done. "And that's during peaceful times. If ever a war should break out between villages while you were the Hokage, you would be sending people out to fight every day and a great many people would die even if you won the war. There would very likely even be times that you would be forced to send people on missions that they had absolutely no chance of surviving, sacrificing their lives in hopes of winning and saving more lives in the long run. That's the true meaning of being a Kage, Naruto."_

_Naruto's face had gone completely ashen and his pupils were mere dots in his blue irises. His entire body trembled as Jagaa's words continued to pound their way into his consciousness. He had never believed the position of Hokage could entail such harsh realities. In his young mind, the Hokage was the strongest Ninja in the village who was respected and loved by all. To Naruto, the Hokage had always been like a superhero who protected the village even at the cost of their own lives. Hearing this now, it made the boy feel as if his dreams and his heart were being slowly crushed in the icy and merciless grip of the reality he'd never realized was there._

_A new sensation jerked the boy violently out of his mind and he looked down to see Jagaa placing the handle of the Kunai into Naruto's trembling right hand and slowly closing the boy's fingers around the wrapped steel. Naruto's first reaction was to try to throw the weapon away from him as his last means of trying to escape the hard truths he had just been told, but Jagaa's firm grip on his wrist prevented him from doing so, and before Naruto's mind could process his other options of getting rid of the object, Jagaa spoke again, his tone becoming softer and more compassionate._

"_The strength to protect what you hold precious always comes at a high price, Naruto, and the price will only get higher as you grow stronger, but…so do the rewards. As Hokage you may carry the responsibility of the lives of the villagers, but, if you can become truly strong, you can protect a great many more of those lives than if you were not." Jagaa slowly took his hand away from Naruto's wrist and held it palm up in front of him, gazing down at it reflectively as he spoke. "Wherever there is joy, there is also sorrow. Wherever there is life, there is also death. All things in this world that are worth chasing hold an element that can either bring you the greatest joy or cast into the deepest despair. That is the truth of life." Jagaa raised his gaze from his hand and focused on Naruto again. "The question you have to ask yourself, what everyone has to ask themselves, is if you are willing to chase your dreams and hope that you can find the joy that it can bring, or if you will give up and flee from the despair that may find you. It's a decision only you can make."_

_For the longest time, Naruto could only stare up at the teenager as his mind tried to fully comprehend everything that had been said, everything he had just learned. Finally, slowly, his eyes moved down to the weapon in his hand, its blade glinting in the sunlight, and then to the figure lying on the dirt road. It was then that Naruto realized what bothered him the most about what Jagaa had just told him to do. What bothered him the most, was that, after his sensei's explanation, he understood _why_ Jagaa had told him to do it._

_Right now, at this moment, Naruto was at the cross roads of his future. It would be this moment that would decide if he could truly take on the responsibility of becoming the Hokage, or if he would give up his dream and the responsibility it entailed. Because the boy understood that, even if he thought the person was actually good, if he couldn't kill this nameless face of whom he knew nothing about, how could Naruto ever deliberately send people he knew and cared about into situations where they may not come back alive._

_Seconds felt like hours, minutes felt like days. Time lost all sense of continuity as the boy continued to stare at the face below him. Then, his hand started to move, bringing the glinting blade of the kunai closer to that same face. Before Naruto knew it, the blade was being pressed to the unconscious young man's throat where it stilled in its movement._

_This was his last chance to stop, his last chance to pull the blade away, but Naruto understood what it would mean if he did. This was more than just a choice about whether or not to take life. It was a choice that would be the true and deciding factor of his very future._

'To reach for joy… or to run from despair._' The words echoed through the boy's mind…and he made he made his decision._

_Naruto's wrist jerked and blood poured out of his victim's open throat. The young man's green eyes snapped open and locked on to the ocean blue hue of Naruto's own for an eternity trapped in a single moment before his body thrashed and pulled them apart. It didn't take long after that before the thrashing turned to twitching and his breathing became nothing more than gurgles as he drowned in his own blood. Then the thrashing stopped and Naruto knew that the young man was dead._

_Dead by Naruto's own hand._

_The boy's breath locked in his throat and his stomach heaved, barely leaving him time to turn away from the corpse before he emptied the organ's contents thrice over._

_Naruto would never know how long he stayed on his hands and knees, staring blankly at the former contents of his stomach as the putrid smell of bile filled the air around him, until the warmth of a comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder._

"_Are you okay, Naruto?" Jagaa asked in a quiet voice._

"_I…I want to be stronger." The boy answered, his dull eyes slowly coming back to life in resolve. "Strong enough to protect the people I care about, strong enough so that I can make this kind of choice as little as possible, and strong enough to help others become strong enough to do the same." Naruto brought his head up and looked directly into Jagaa's dark sunglasses, his blue eyes shining with determination. "I want to be the Hokage."_

_A faint smile came to Jagaa's lips. "Good to hear." Naruto couldn't help but smile himself at the rough reply._

///Flashback End///

Kurenai, Hinata, and Kiba stood in silence as they stared at the sunny-blonde in front of them who was gazing out over the waves with reminiscent eyes. "It's been four years since then, but I can still remember it so clearly. In that moment that our eyes locked, I felt like my heart was going to be ripped from my chest. I could see everything. His pain, his confusion, his grief, his fear…everything. It's something I never want to see again, but that I know I may have to. That's why, even if I know it's impossible to _never_ see it again, I want to see it as little as possible and help others to do the same."

Kiba couldn't believe that his happy go lucky, sometimes amazingly dense, best friend could have done something like that. He knew that the blonde had been competent and thorough the day before in the fight, but had assumed that it came from slow progression into the comfort of killing by having a first kill akin to what Kiba had experienced. Never could he have thought that Naruto's first kill would be so deliberate and with full understanding of just what he was doing. It actually made the Inuzuka grateful that his kill had been in the heat of battle, because he didn't think he could have ever made the same choice Naruto made that day. Not the first time.

Hinata…was bothered, but not because of what Naruto had done. No, what bothered Hinata was the familiarity of it all. She knew what Naruto must have gone through that day. She knew how hard it must have been for him to sacrifice that innocent part of himself. Most of all, she knew how strong his resolve to move forward and reach for his dreams must have become. She knew it well. That's why it bothered her. Because it could mean something that she never wanted to admit.

Kurenai felt sick. She had seen firsthand due to his treatment of Sasuke during their Genin examination that Jagaa could be unnervingly brutal in his teaching methods, but this…She couldn't believe that he could be so heartless as to push a boy of only eight years old to do something that most Shinobi didn't do for _years_ after their becoming Ninja.

"How?" Kiba finally asked. "How did you learn to live with yourself after that?"

Naruto shrugged and looked back out over the waves. "I just did. I didn't really have much choice after all. I guess it just got easier as time passed and I became more familiar with death and killing with every new job." The sunny-blonde turned back to them and flashed a small smile. "Doesn't mean it was _completely_ easy to move past it though. Fortunately Nii-san gave me some advice that helped a lot."

"What sort of advice." Kurenai questioned, not sure if it was advice that should actually be given. The man _had_ made an eight year old kill someone in cold blood after all.

"Two things, both pretty simple really." Naruto replied holding up a finger. "First, when you're on a job, focus everything you have on completing the job and accept whatever may come as part of it. Then just leave it as just that. Part of the job. And second…" Naruto held up two fingers for a moment before suddenly springing to his feet and leaping back out onto the ocean, his hands flashing through seals. "Have fun whenever you can." His hands came to a stop and instantly three streams of water shot from in front of his feet, straight into the faces of his company who coughed and sputtered as they tried to fend off the water that was drenching them. The only one spared was Akamaru who had jumped off Kiba's head and bolted to the house as soon as the water had hit his master.

Now standing completely soaked, Hinata, Kiba, and Kurenai were glaring daggers at the whisker marked boy who was laughing hysterically at his handiwork, his feet continually submerging drastically as his focus wavered due to his mirth.

"Y-you should have s-seen your selves!" The boy crowed. "Y-you were all like, gah ahh blub blub blub!" Naruto flailed his arms comically as he imitated their attempts to stave off the water onslaught before leaning over and clutching his sides, his laughter returning full force.

Kiba's eyes went flat and he slowly turned to face Hinata. "Kill the blonde?" He questioned calmly.

"Slowly…and _painfully_." Hinata growled in response, her Byakugan flaring to life as the two of them bolted out onto the water.

"Hahaha-Oh crap!" Naruto yelled in panic when he realized his two teammates were bearing down on him with the promise of pain in their eyes. "I didn't know you two could walk on water!" He screamed as he ran for his life over the shifting waves. "That's cheating!"

Kurenai couldn't hear what Kiba yelled in response as it was drowned out by the sounds of the ocean due and the distance they had covered, but doubted it was anything she really needed to hear anyway. Running a finger across her cheek, the woman had to suppress a growl when she saw it coated with a dark purple that _used_ to be her eyeliner. That boy was _way_ too much like his older brother.

The thought of Jagaa gave her pause for a moment as she replayed Naruto's story through her mind. She honestly couldn't understand why he would do something like that to such a young boy. No matter how brutal someone could be in their teaching methods, there should at least be _some_ kind of limit. Shaking her head, Kurenai headed back to the house in order to fix her makeup before going to guard Tazuna, silently promising herself to have a _long_ talk with her partner Jounin the first chance she had.

X X X X X

"He's a monster!" Ino groaned as she lay on her back staring up into the foliage. "A ruthless, coldblooded, sadistic, _monster_! There's no way were going to last a week at this rate!" Sakura was too busy taking long, deep breaths while her cheek was on the forest floor to answer and Sasuke only responded with a tired grunt.

"Oi, what are you three doing." Jagaa asked with thinly veiled amusement as he walked up to the three panting Genin. "It's gonna be dark soon and it's been getting fairly chilly at night so you need to gather up some wood and make a fire before you rest."

"Are you nuts?" Ino demanded. "We can barely move right now because of you, Asshole! Why don't _you_ make the damn fire?"

Jagaa smirked down at the girl, secretly amused at how her exhaustion brought her defiant personality to new heights. "It's part of the training, Ino-chan. There won't always be someone around who's in perfect health to take care of things like the fire if you're tired or wounded during a mission. That's why it's called _survival_ training."

Ino glared at her male sensei with as much hatred as she could muster. "I think you're just enjoying torturing us."

Jagaa grinned at her. "There's that to."

If Ino had the strength, she would most likely be trying to kill him about now.

During the course of Ino and Jagaa's conversation, Sakura had managed to painfully push herself off the forest floor and was already slowly gathering all the sticks and branches she could from the surrounding area, her eyes distant and unfocused as she went about her task of gathering wood.

"See. Sakura's got the spirit." Jagaa commended before frowning down at the other two. "Unlike a couple of _other_ people I know."

Sasuke grunted in irritation as he forcefully pushed himself off the ground. Despite his displeasure at his current situation however, his eyes had lost a great deal of their usual sharpness since the day before, taking on a much duller tone even as he glared at his scarred sensei.

Ino growled audibly as she to finally managed to force herself off the ground and back onto her weary feet. "Fine, but I hope you know that I _hate_ you right now." Still grumbling to herself, the blonde girl began fulfilling her own part in the gathering of the firewood.

Jagaa's amused expression dimmed significantly once the three of them were no longer facing him as he passed his gaze upon each of them in turn. After another minute or so of watching and making sure none of them looked like they were going to actually collapse, Jagaa turned around and disappeared into the forest again.

X X X X X

Sakura sat upon the dried leaves of the forest floor in silence as she stared blankly into the dancing flames of their fire. It was strange to her that only yesterday it was this exact same element that almost ended her life that she was now relying on as her source of warmth and light. Detachedly she wondered how many other necessities in life were the same. How many things were there that humans relied on to live that could just as easily take their lives away? It almost made the pink haired girl want to laugh bitterly as the list continued to grow in her mind.

A snapping twig jerked the girl out of her musings as she looked over to see Jagaa walking into the firelight with several fish held on a wire in one hand while his other arm was burdened with a large amount of fruit. "I'm actually surprised to see one of you still awake." The scarred man said as he took a seat beside the girl, carefully setting down the fish and fruit so as not to ruin them. "I thought for sure I'd be dumping cold water on the three of you."

"You said it was training for mission like environments." Sakura answered in a monotone voice. "I assumed that would mean you would also want us sleeping in shifts like we would on a mission as well and volunteered to take the first."

"That's pretty admirable of you." Jagaa complimented, handing the girl an apple that she took mechanically and bit into with just as little enthusiasm. "So what brought on this bit of initiative?"

Sakura paused, a small drop of apple juice slipping through the corner of her mouth before she swallowed the bite she had taken. "I just…wanted to be useful." She finally answered in a quiet voice.

"Nothing wrong with that I guess." Jagaa commented as he picked up a stick, impaling a fish on it before planting it into the ground so the fish was hovering near the fire to cook. "I don't know why you feel the need to prove yourself useful though. I was exaggerating when I said your performance sucked, you know. The three of you actually did pretty well considering the odds we were up against. Well, except for the nearly dying part. That's something we'll have to work on." Jagaa chuckled lightly and traced one of the long scars on his arm. "Course, I don't really have the right to chastise anyone on nearly dying. Not with how many times _I've_ nearly died."

Sakura stayed silent at Jagaa's comments and the scarred man sighed, adjusting his sunglasses. "I probably already know the answer considering how I whisked you all away the first night we got to the village, but have you talked to anyone about it?" Sakura shook her head in the negative and Jagaa shrugged. "I thought so. I probably should've let Princess handle it since she's a bit more…okay, make it a lot more delicate than me, but since I'm here and she's not. Do you want to talk to me about it?"

"There's no need." Sakura replied monotonously to which Jagaa raised his eyebrows. "I almost died because I was weak. That's all. I just have to train to be stronger in order to avoid it happening again."

"That was very…robotic of you." The man said uncertainly.

A wry smile came to the girls lips. "Shinobi rule number 35: A ninja must never display their emotions. I'm just behaving as a proper Ninja should, Jagaa-sensei."

"…That's an actual rule?" The scarred man questioned to which Sakura nodded shortly. "What a load of bullshit."

Sakura's eyes lifted up to look into her sensei's sunglasses as they reflected the firelight. The questioning in them being the first sign of emotion she had showed throughout most of the day. "Excuse me."

"I said it's a load of bullshit." Jagaa repeated. "There's nothing wrong with living by your emotions. Hell, some of the strongest Ninja in the world are so open about their emotions that it's almost scary. Trust me. I've met quite a few of them."

"Then…why…?" Sakura asked uncertainly.

"It's a misinterpretation taken to the extreme." Jagaa shrugged. "A true Ninja will try their damdest to learn how to keep their emotions under control in order to keep from losing themselves to them in battle and making a mistake, but that doesn't mean they don't _have_ any. No matter how strong a Ninja they are, they're also still human. And when the mission is done, and their adrenaline has died, they'll recall every detail, relive every experience, and once again feel every emotion that passed through them throughout it. The only thing that really makes a Ninja different from a normal person is that, whenever possible, they release those emotions at the time of _their_ choosing."

Jagaa turned back to Sakura and the girl could see herself reflected in his ever present glasses, her image dancing in and out of shadow from the flickering of the fire. "You nearly died, Sakura, and you were nearly killed by an attack from your own teammate. If there were anyone who could go through something like that and feel nothing, I'd honestly be worried about their sanity." Jagaa reached out and gently put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "You've done a great job of bottling up your emotions and driving on with your mission, Sakura, but you don't have to hold it inside forever. You can talk about it. Kurenai, Kakashi, your friends…me, we all care about you and we'll all listen." Jagaa smiled at the girl and gave her shoulder a gently squeeze. "And if some idiot ever starts telling you you're weak or not a real Ninja because you haven't rid yourself of emotions, just let me know and I'll kick the living shit out of them. Laughing the whole time just so they know how much I'm _enjoying_ it."

Sakura's eyes moistened slightly, the warmth of the hand on her shoulder washing over her like a protective blanket. "You promise?" She asked with a small smile of her own.

"Damn right I do." Jagaa grinned.

Sakura let out a small laugh before her smile slowly fell away and she looked up at the man, her unshed tears glistening in the firelight. "I was scared, Jagaa-sensei. I was so scared."

"I know." Jagaa said quietly, reaching out and gently brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "I know."

In that instant, all of Sakura's defenses crumbled and she threw herself into Jagaa's chest, crying unashamedly. All of her fear of dying, all of her pain from the memory, all of her relief at still being alive, it all erupted like a bursting damn as she wailed into the black cloth of Jagaa's vest. She felt him wrap his arms around her and heard his soft whisper telling her that she was all right now as he gently stroked the back of her head, and she cried harder because she could finally believe that it was true.

X X X X X

Jagaa smiled warmly down at the young girl who was currently using his crossed legs as pillow. She had cried so much in the release of her repressed emotions that it was small wonder that she had fallen asleep. Raising his right hand, Jagaa extended his index finger, which started glowing a soft blue, and touched it to the girl's temple to ensure that she would stay in a dreamless sleep for the rest of the night.

The scarred man decided that he was going to have to have a talk with Princess about the things they were teaching in the academy. Seriously, what in the world could they be thinking telling kids a load of potentially self damaging crap like that? Then again, it could just be that his own personality just didn't mesh with the doctrine and that was why he thought so little of it, but that wasn't the point. With a shake of his head, Jagaa lifted his face towards the other two Genin laying near the fire. "So do you two plan on faking being asleep all night, or would you like to chat with me?"

Both figures gave a guilty twitch before Ino and Sasuke lifted themselves off into a sitting position and looked at their scarred sensei apprehensively. "How did you know we were awake?" Ino asked.

"There were a couple of things that gave you away." Jagaa replied with a shrug.

"Like what." The girl asked curiously.

Jagaa gave the girl a light smirk. "Well if I told you that, you'd know what I look for the next time you were trying to fake being asleep. Wouldn't you?" Ino huffed at the reply, getting a short laugh from the man in return.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner if you knew we were faking?" Sasuke asked.

Jagaa turned to Sasuke making the boy shift uncomfortably under what he felt to be a strong gaze. "Because both of you needed to hear what I said just as much as Sakura, and _you_," Sasuke flinched slightly at the sternness of the man's voice, "needed to hear what _Sakura_ said as well. Seeing as it was _your_ fault she was in that state." The young Uchiha shifted uncomfortably at that, unable to deny the accusation.

Jagaa moved his gaze from the boy and shifted it to Ino, a small smile coming to his lips. "So, Ino-chan, Tazuna told me yesterday that you saved his life by killing an attacker that was coming up behind him." The young girl tensed noticeably at the reminder of the day before and nodded slowly, causing Jagaa's smile to widen. "Good job."

"Eh?" The girl replied in surprise. After hearing her Sensei's talk with Sakura, Ino had sort of been expecting something a little more comforting to her feelings on killing for the first time instead of just a simple compliment.

"I said good job." Jagaa said with a small laugh at her disappointed expression. "You made your first kill in order to defend the life of your client. It was a quick decision made in the heat of the moment, and it was the right one. You may not have felt good about it afterwards seeing as it was first time killing someone but, in my opinion, it shows you have great promise as a Ninja. I'm proud of you." Despite the fact it wasn't nearly as comforting as his talk with Sakura, Ino couldn't help but feel better about herself after the rough praise from her scarred Sensei.

Turning away from the now more cheerful girl, Jagaa once again directed his attention on Sasuke, all trace of kindness falling away and his features hardening fiercely. "You, however, I'm not only _not_ proud of, it was all I could do to keep from killing or permanently disabling you when I heard what you nearly did! Truth be told, if Naruto hadn't gotten to you first, I probably would have!" The young Uchiha swallowed thickly, not doubting in the least that the man was completely serious. "It would be one thing if you were being heavily pressed and made a mistake caused by desperation and inexperience, but it wasn't! You nearly killed a teammate for no other reason than because you were out to prove something! You completely disregarded your team's and client's safety, nearly resulting in Sakura's death, for a personal vendetta!"

Jagaa paused and took several long breaths to calm himself down before speaking again. "Kakashi said, people who don't care about their teammates are worse than trash, and he was right. Right now, I have more respect for maggots feasting on a rotting corpse than I do for you. And I promise you now, if you _ever_ let that fucking pride of yours put one of your teammates in danger again, I _will_ kill you!"

Sasuke's face paled considerably as he nodded his understanding.

"H-hey, Jagaa-sensei," Ino started a bit nervously. "Don't you think you're being too hard on Sasuke-kun? I mean, I'm sure he feels bad for what happened, so…" Ino trailed off, not sure what else to say in her crushes defense.

"Feeling bad or being sorry doesn't change what happened, Ino." Jagaa said sternly. "A mistake that costs someone their life is irredeemable. You can beg everyone they ever loved for forgiveness and scream apologies to the heavens themselves, but it will never bring back a life once lost. That is something you _all_ need to understand." His voice lowered before he spoke again, his tone becoming sad. "The dead…can never come back to us." Ino fell silent, unable to respond to the man's words as the weight of them sunk into her mind.

Sasuke's stomach felt like he had swallowed a lump of lead. He knew. He knew better than anyone that the dead could never come back. He knew, and yet he had almost been the cause of the death of his own teammate. The Uchiha would be the first to tell anyone who asked that he found Ino and Sakura to be annoying and their advances unwanted, but to have nearly killed one of them because he was trying to prove something…

_To test myself._

Sasuke's heart clenched. No! He wasn't like him! He would _never_ be like him! That's what Sasuke wanted to believe. What he _had_ to believe.

"Still," Jagaa's voice pulled the two Genin out of their thoughts and back to the man, who was scratching his neck with an irritable expression. "You may be right. He didn't actually kill her, thanks to Naruto, so he _does_ have the chance to learn from this. That's more than a lot of people can say." Jagaa turned back to Sasuke. "As long as you understand, both what you did _and_ what I'll do if you do it again, I suppose we can try to move past it. Of course, Sakura may not be so willing, seeing as it was her that almost died, so we'll see how she deals with it." Both Genin nodded and Jagaa's face lit up with a grin, his stern features vanishing as if they had never been there to begin with. "Well, now that that's decided, I think you two should get some sleep. Cause if you think what I put you through _today_ was bad, you're going to be crying once I'm done with you_ tomorrow_."

Sasuke and Ino went rigid, pure terror shining in their eyes. "How the hell do you expect us to be able to sleep after hearing that?" Ino finally recovered enough to say. "I'm gonna be having nightmares just thinking about tomorrow now."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll sleep fine." Jagaa said with a smirk, carefully shifting Sakura off his lap so he could stand up and move towards the pair, the tips of both his index fingers glowing softly.

"I don't see how you can be so sure of-" Ino's retort was cut off as she and Sasuke fell forward in sleep once Jagaa's finger touched their temples.

"That technique has all sorts of uses." Jagaa smirked, laying the pair back down and plopping onto the ground between the three sleeping Genin.

Once seated, his smirk faded and his expression softened as he observed each of them in turn, his gaze lingering on the sleeping form of the young Uchiha. Jagaa knew why Sasuke's actions had angered Naruto so much, and even more so, he knew why his actions had angered Jagaa himself so much. Still, what was done was done, and as long as Sakura wasn't hurt, there was a chance that Sasuke really could learn from his mistake, and Jagaa truly hoped he would.

Sighing, the scarred man reached into his weapons pouch and fished around for a few moments before pulling out a small scroll. A quick unrolling and a puff of smoke later, Jagaa was holding a large bottle of Sake that he immediately uncorked and took a long drink from. Seriously, he why the hell did he have to be a Jounin Sensei? It was so damn annoying being responsible for the upbringing of young ninja and he wasn't really suited for the job. So why? Oh yeah, it was because he decided on a whim to take care of some little boy he found laying on a forest floor five years ago.

"Why couldn't I have found a puppy instead?" The man said mournfully before taking another long drink.

X X X X X

Kurenai was a wreck. For a week now, she had been worrying constantly for the safety of her subordinates with only Naruto's word that Jagaa had said they would be back today to cling to. The red eyed woman had literally been up since dawn waiting for the arrival of her wayward team and she was pretty sure if they didn't get back soon she was going to go crazy. Getting up from the chair she had been taking a momentary rest in, the red eyed woman resumed her nervous pacing of the living room.

"You really should relax, Kurenai chan." Kakashi said good naturedly from behind his little orange book he was reading on the couch. It had only taken the man a day to recover enough from Chakra exhaustion to move around the house, but it wasn't until yesterday that he fully stopped using the crutches. Though Kurenai was pretty certain that he had just been using them as an excuse to stay at the house and read his book in peace instead of guarding Tazuna and the others on the bridge. "Wearing trenches into the floor with your constant pacing isn't going to get them back any faster."

"That's easy for you to say." Kurenai growled at him. "_You're_ team hasn't been out for a week with someone who even his own brother is afraid of being trained by. What if he hurt them unintentionally…or worse, _intentionally_?"

"I don't think you have to worry about that." The silver haired Jounin reassured her. "Jagaa himself once told me that he was probably harder on Naruto than he would normally be because he discovered early on that Naruto recovered at an amazing rate. He'll know that he can't put those three through the same things he put Naruto through."

"…I hope you're right." Kurenai finally gave in with a sigh as she sat down again. She was willing to see the logic on in Kakashi's words, but that didn't mean she was going to completely stop worrying.

The sudden sound of someone clearing there throat drew the two Jounins' attention and they looked over to where Kiba was standing in the doorway. "Sorry for interrupting, Kurenai-sensei, but those four you were just talking about, Akamaru and I caught their scent just a couple of minutes ago. If they're walking, they should be back within the next fifteen minutes or so."

Kakashi smiled at the news and turned to Kurenai. "See, they're already…" The Jounin trailed off when he realized he was talking to empty air as the door slammed open to mark the woman's hasty exit. Letting out a small chuckle, Kakashi rose from his seat and made his way to join his fellow Jounin in waiting on her team. He didn't want to miss the show after all.

"And _why_ are you not guarding the bridge like you're supposed to be doing?" Kakashi heard Kurenai asking dangerously as he walked out, finding the woman glaring down at a tense Naruto who was supposed to be keeping watch over Tazuna and his crew along with Hinata today.

"I…" Naruto started nervously. "I wanted to see Nii-san of course. This has nothing to do with a bet and wanting to know if I won because he killed one of them. Nope, nothing at all." Naruto finished with a nervous grin and started scratching the back of his head.

The slight twitch of her eye and the slow shifting of her hand told Kakashi quite clearly that Kurenai was less than pleased with Naruto's answer, and he carefully started to close his book in preparation to either, A, save the boy from his impending doom, or B, jump clear and leave the unfortunate boy to his fate instead. Considering what he'd seen from previous outbursts of the woman though, Kakashi was rather inclined to go with option B.

Fortunately for the young blonde though, he was saved from his untimely death by the sound of the one voice that could completely pull the woman's attention, and murderous intent, from _anyone,_ and place it on himself. "See. I told you we'd be there soon so you can stop whining now. Oh look, there's Princess! HIIIIIIII PRINCESS! WE'RE HOOOOOOMMMME!"

Kurenai's entire body whipped around at the shout as she inhaled in preparation for her verbal assault on the man, but instead had the air violently knocked out of her due to both Ino and Sakura crashing into her and hugging her middle tightly while sobbing.

"Kurenai-sensei!" The girls cried in unison. "We missed you so much!"

The woman was at a loss for words at the sudden glomping and was still trying to wrap her mind around the situation, as well as regain her breath, when Sasuke walked up and stood directly in front of her. Red eyes met obsidian for several moments, and then the young Uchiha wordlessly joined his teammates in tightly hugging their female sensei.

Kurenai's mind nearly shut down. Snapping her head up, her widened eyes locked on Jagaa as she yelled the only thing that could be yelled in that situation. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY STUDENTS!?"

"Oh, they're just being overly dramatic." Jagaa said dismissively, but everyone present was able to just make out a concealed bit of nervousness in the scarred man's voice.

"What the hell!" Naruto yelled, staring at the three Genin wrapped around Kurenai's waist. "How are all three of them still alive? I don't believe it! Quick! Everyone check for genjutsu!"

"…Not really helping my case here, Brat." Jagaa said, the nervousness of his voice becoming more apparent.

"W-wait a second." Naruto started stammering. "If all three of them really _are_ still alive…then that means…I LOST THE BET!?"

"Oh. That's right. I forgot about that." Jagaa brightened, a victorious smirk coming to his features and his voice becoming musical. "Yoouuu lost the beeeet."

Naruto's pupils went small and his eyes glazed over giving him a crazed look. Slowly, he turned to the three Genin hugging Kurenai and started moving towards them as he slowly drew a kunai.

"Hey! Hey!" Jagaa yelled, quickly jumping in front of the wild eyed boy. "Even if you kill them now I still win because _I_ didn't kill them."

"But…but…" The kunai fell from Naruto's grip and the boy sank to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "I _can't_ go a _year _without ramen! I _can't_! I'll die! I swear I'll _die_!"

"You should've thought of that before you made the stakes that I would have to go without Sake for a year!" Jagaa said unsympathetically. "Maybe next time you'll…" Jagaa's words died away at the feeling of impending doom looming over him. Slowly he turned to find a very angry Kurenai standing directly behind him, a black aura of death radiating around her and her eyes shining with demonic furry.

"What. Did. You. Do. To. My. _Students_?" She growled out. Everyone watching would later swear that they saw smoke exit the woman's mouth.

The sunglasses wearing man gulped audibly and took a hesitant step back. "Um, okay, no need for violence." He said with a terrified chuckle. "I'll tell you everything…but first, could you tell me why Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke are currently in a three way make out session?"

"What?" The woman snapped, spinning around to face the three of them and immediately realizing she had been tricked, something she probably would have been able to avoid if she had been in her right mind, when she saw her students staring back at her in surprise. Growling again, she turned back to Jagaa again, only to find the space he had been occupying now empty.

"He went that way, Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto yelled, pointing off to the left. "Hurry! You can still catch him!" Without a second thought, the woman bolted after her scarred partner with murder at the forefront of her mind.

"I'm surprised you sold out your brother like that." Kakashi said casually, only to shiver when Naruto looked at him with the same crazed eyes that he had been looking at Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke with earlier.

"If he dies, then the bet is voided." Naruto said in a maniacal voice. "So he has to die." The whiskered blonde turned to face the direction the two Jounin had sped off, a crazed laugh escaping his throat. "Die, Nii-san. Die for the sake of the ramen."

It was that moment Kakashi, Kiba, Ino, Sasuke, and Sakura, as well as Hinata when she was later told about the event, made a silent vow to _never_ come between Naruto and his ramen.

X X X X X

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't throw you into a gay bar tied up and naked with a sign taped to your ass saying 'just do it'." Jagaa growled as he held a very worried Naruto by his collar a meter off the ground.

"Uhh, because you're always saying you question my sexuality and you'd never forgive yourself if I ended up liking it and you inadvertently turned me into a flaming homosexual?" Naruto asked with a slight quaver in his voice.

"…I hate it when you're right." Jagaa grumbled. "Still, I really should make you suffer somehow. Do you have any idea how hard it was to ditch that crazy princess and avoid being castrated with a dull kunai?"

"Well if you had just killed one of them and lost the bet like you were supposed to, I wouldn't have needed to avenge my ramen." Naruto sniffed haughtily.

"First of all, if I _had_ killed one of them, she _would_ have castrated me…or worse. Secondly," Jagaa inhaled deeply. "I'M A _SENSEI_ YOU JACK ASS!" Jagaa yelled, shaking the boy violently by his collar. "I'm not _allowed_ to kill them! Even_ I_ know that!" The man took a few calming breaths before dropping the boy on his tail end. "Jeez, I thought you were joking with the whole bet thing, and then you go and pull that crap. You seriously thought I was gonna kill them didn't you?"

"Well why shouldn't I?" Naruto argued, glaring at the man from his place on the ground. "With how many times you almost killed _me_, I have every right to expect the worst and try to make you suffer for it! I've even met an angel because of you!"

"You're not gonna start that again are you?" Jagaa groaned. "Okay, I may have over did it a few times with you, but I don't think I ever came _that_ close to killing you. You're just imagining things."

"Am not!" Naruto protested. "I really have met one! She has red hair is really nice."

"I'm not getting into this with you right now." The scarred man sighed. Then he adjusted his sunglasses and shifted into a more professional mode. "More importantly, did you get the information we needed?"

Naruto's mood also changed instantly as he stood up and dusted himself off. "Yeah, I got it. He's hold up at an old factory about twenty miles south of here."

Jagaa cupped his chin with his hand thoughtfully. "Hmm, twenty miles. If we leave after sunset, keep to the trees, and only go at around a five minute mile pace to conserve energy, we can make it in a bit less than two hours." Jagaa's hand dropped and a vicious grin came to his face. "More than enough time to wreak some havoc and be back before dawn."

"I was thinking the same thing." Naruto agreed with an equally vicious smile. "I've been waiting for this."

"Me too. Oh, I should tell you though that there's been a slight change in plans." Jagaa said. "I'm bringing along an extra person."

Naruto tilted his head and squinted his eyes in annoyance. "Huh, why? We can handle this by ourselves."

"Of course we can." The man agreed easily. "I just think it'll be good for him…Plus it'll irritate the hell out of you, and that's always a good thing."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What? No way! You can't mean you're bringing…"

Jagaa smiled innocently and Naruto groaned at the confirmation.

X X X X X

"Let's make one thing clear." Naruto spat out, glaring at the third party. "I don't need you or want you coming, but Nii-san wants to bring you so I don't have any say. So just stay out of my way and don't slow me down, and I won't kick the crap out of you. Understand?"

Sasuke found himself in a strange sense of role reversal as he looked into the hard blue eyes of the boy in front of him. If it had been a week ago, the raven haired boy would have already attacked the blonde for practically declaring him useless, but as it was he was still being influenced by his nearly killing Sakura, and could only nod mutely in response. With a snort of satisfaction, Naruto turned and started stomping off into the trees.

"Oh, don't mind him." Sasuke heard at the same time a heavy hand patted his back. "He's just pissed off that he won't get to taste his beloved ramen for an entire year."

Naruto's stomping stopped immediately and the boy fell forward to his hands and knees, a dark aura of depression encompassing him. "Ramen. My poor ramen. How I wish I could savor you heavenly taste, to inhale your angelic scent. I shall never forget you, my poor ramen."

"Oh quit being such a drama queen." Jagaa reprimanded. "Look, I'll make you a deal. Depending on how well you do tonight, I'll shorten your time of ramen-less-ness. Do well enough, and I may just forget about the whole bet. Sound good?"

Before the breath of his last word had even finished leaving the man's mouth, Naruto was back on his feet with a fiery aura of determination surrounding him. "What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go! My ramen awaits me!" With a loud and thunderous battle cry, "RAAAAAAAMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNN", the sunny blonde dashed into the darkened woods leaving a large cloud of dust behind him.

"He's so easy to manipulate." Jagaa said with a shake of his head before turning to Sasuke. "Let's go, Emo. Don't want to be left behind now do we?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, the scarred man took off after his younger brother, followed a second later by a very confused Sasuke.

'_What's going on with these two?_' The young Uchiha questioned as he jumped through the tree tops and trying not to lose sight of his sensei. '_Where are we going? And why did they bring me?_'

"Because it'll be good for you to come along." Jagaa said from in front of him, almost making Sasuke miss his landing on the next branch from the surprise. He was just about to ask how Jagaa knew what he was thinking but the man spoke again. "Don't be so surprised. It doesn't take a genius to guess what's going through your head right now…which means Naruto would probably never figure it out." Sasuke let out a small snort at that. "Anyway, like I said, it'll be good for you. As much as I've enjoyed not having you being an arrogant asshole for the last week, you're being _too_ damned pussed out. We've already talked about your mistake, now it's time to learn from it and move forward. So I'm hoping a little bit of action will spark at least some of that old fire in you. Hopefully not all the way back to 'Stick up your ass Emo' mode, but at least enough to make you fun to pick on again."

Sasuke wasn't sure if he should be offended or not, so instead decided to ask a question. "So what are we doing then?"

"We're just gonna run an errand to get rid of some trash. That's all." Jagaa answered with thinly veiled eagerness. "Trash that's been stinking the place up for far too long."

'_Trash?_' Sasuke questioned to himself. He might have asked for more details, but at that moment Naruto's voice rang through the forest again with his unique war cry.

"Let's catch up to that idiot before he tells everyone in the world we're out here." Jagaa sighed heavily. "Jeez that brat is such a pain in the ass sometimes."

All chance for conversation was lost to the Uchiha then as he struggled to keep up with his accelerating sensei.

X X X X X

Just under two hours ago, Sasuke had been told that he was being brought on this 'Errand' to break him out of his depressed state and re-spark some of the fire within him. Now, as he stood there staring at the two grinning blondes framed by the large warehouse behind them, one thing was very clear.

It was working.

"Let me get this straight." The young Uchiha grated out through his clenched teeth. "Your idea of an _errand_ is to walk right up to Gatou's stronghold, break down the gates, find Gatou, and then kill him. Is that about right?"

"We were thinking about taking out a few walls and possibly a mass elimination of whatever lackeys he has in there as well, but yeah, that's about the gist of it." Jagaa nodded, his arms crossed in front him as he continued to grin.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "And what about the Ninja and such that will be guarding him? I doubt they're just going to let you walk past them and kill their paycheck."

"Well, I get to fight Zabuza." Jagaa replied.

"And I get Haku." Naruto followed.

"And you get whatever is left." The two blonde males said in unison, pointing at the raven haired one.

Sasuke's eye twitched again. What the hell kind of plan was that. "And what happens if there are _hundreds_ of 'whatever is left', like on the way here?"

"We have the upmost confidence in your almighty Uchiha abilities." Jagaa smiled.

"As long as he's not throwing fireballs at us." Naruto added.

"Ow, harsh." The Jagaa winced.

Despite the sharp pain from being reminded yet again of his blunder, Sasuke was getting seriously irritated and it was getting harder for him to not just leave the two of them to their devices. "What the hell is wrong with you two? This isn't even a plan! You're just making things up as you go along!"

"That's how we plan." The blondes replied in unison again.

Yep, that did it.

"I'm leaving!" Sasuke growled out as he started marching off in the direction they had come from.

"Trying to do that would be a bad idea right now." Jagaa called after him.

"Why?" The boy demanded, glaring back over his shoulder. The action gave him just enough time to see the rain of Senbon needles aimed for him and jump out of the way on pure reflex.

"Cause Uncle Zabuza and Haku are already here." Naruto said from the tree he had jumped behind for cover.

"It's about time you both showed up." Zabuza growled as he and Haku appeared on a thick branch, looking down at the three of them. "I thought you and the brat would be here days ago. What took you so long, and why did you bring the dark haired brat?"

"Well, that brat," Jagaa pointed to Sasuke, who was starting to get annoyed that everyone kept calling him a brat. "I brought because his self pitying attitude from almost killing his teammate," The Uchiha winced, "was starting to annoy me. Besides, I needed to give you a chance to heal from the injuries Kakashi gave you. Don't want you to have any excuses when I'm kicking your ass. Right, burn victim?"

"Burn victim?" Sasuke questioned to Naruto, unable to hold his curiosity.

"Nii-san is making fun of the fact Uncle Zabuza has no eyebrows." The blonde replied amusedly.

Zabuza's eye twitched as he glared at the scarred man below him. "I hate you."

"…I just had the strangest sense of role reversal." Jagaa mused thoughtfully. "Oh, right, back to the topic. Anyway, _that _brat," This time he pointed at Naruto who waved in acknowledgement. "Wanted to come a week ago, but, like I said, I wanted to give you some time to heal, so I used the time to train the other brats I have to look after now."

"I still can't believe anyone would put you in charge of kids." Zabuza grunted.

"Look who's talking." Jagaa countered. "At least mine all look like their actual gender. Well, Emo _is_ pushing it a bit, but still."

"Would both of you stop it already?" Naruto said in exasperation. "We've all got a job to do here you know."

"Naruto-kun is right." Haku nodded in agreement his feminine face glowing in the moonlight with the absence of his mask. "Though I would rather not have to fight either of you, if your goal is to kill Gatou, then we must stop you."

Jagaa and Zabuza paused in their arguing and looked at their respective charges before Jagaa shrugged. "I guess you're right. We came here for a reason and it's time we get to it." A small grimace graced his features. "Besides, we have to get back before sunrise or Princess will find out we were gone and will probably try to skin me alive again."

"Hoh, you seem confident in that you'll actually leave _alive_." Zabuza drawled, his right hand moving up to the hilt of his massive blade.

"Can't think of a reason why I shouldn't be, Bandage Face." Jagaa smirked, his own right hand moving to his blade as well.

The two Jounin phased out of existence and a sound like a thunder clap of striking steel mixed in with a shockwave that almost knocked the three younger Ninja off their feet blasted outwards from where the seasoned warriors now stood with locked blades. Jagaa and Zabuza stood firm across from each other. The only sign of their struggle being the visible shaking of their blades as each tried to overpower the other.

"So how do you want to do this?" Jagaa asked, his calm voice contrasting the fierce struggle for dominance of their blades. "Fast and destructive with Jutsu flying wild, or controlled and enjoyable in a straight up sword battle?"

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "If we go all out with Jutsu, I'd be hard pressed to fight you and protect the warehouse at the same time and you know it. So why don't you admit I don't really have a choice and you just want to have a straight blade battle since you enjoy those more."

"Just trying to be polite." Jagaa replied easily, a cocky grin spreading across his features. The two Jounin pushed away from each other and phased out of existence again leaving Naruto and Sasuke diving for cover as severed branches fell from above them.

'_This is the strength of a Jounin!? Incredible!'_ Sasuke thought in awe as he listened to the fading sound of striking steel and falling trees that marked Jagaa and Zabuza's movement through the forest. A heavy impact from to his side snapped Sasuke out of his daze and he looked over just in time to see a mess of blonde hair as he was pushed away from the tree he had been using for cover just before a rain of senbon needles riddled the trunk.

"Pay attention, Teme! We're in deep shit right now!" Naruto yelled as he dove from tree to tree, senbon needles following almost as if they had locked on to him.

Sasuke was about to ask what Naruto meant by that when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and jumped away just in time to avoid more needles. Even as he landed, he caught sight of more coming from his right and had to immediately move again only for more to come in from above him. Sasuke didn't need to ask what Naruto meant any more. They were in deep shit.

"Where's it coming from!?" Sasuke shouted as he dodged and weaved the needles that were flying at him from all directions with no visible source.

"It's Haku!" Naruto yelled back even as he was back hand springing through his own barrage of needles. "He has a blood line limit that lets him make mirrors out of ice that he can move between almost at the speed of light." Naruto landed on his feet again and leapt to the right while more needles hit where he would have been if he had stayed on his original path. "But normally he traps you in a dome of mirrors that you can _see_!"

"That is correct, Naruto-kun." Haku's light voice came at them from all sides. "As you said, this is not my usual approach. That is because I am well aware that my bloodline, despite its strength when used properly, is not invincible, especially to the limited number of people who have seen it before such as you. I have no doubts that you have prepared countermeasures for this confrontation based on my normal attack style, which is why I have decided to use this method I thought up some time ago but have never needed to put into practice. I have forgone a controlled atmosphere like the dome and spread my mirrors through the general area. Normally that would make it easy to escape; however, I have developed a special genjutsu that does nothing but hide my mirrors from your sight, which means-"

"That we can't try to recklessly force our way out of here or we might end up point blank range from one of your mirrors making it impossible to dodge your attack, right?" Naruto finished in a bland tone even as he continued his mad dodging. "I think I should mention the fact I hate you right now, Haku."

Sasuke felt his stomach churn when a mental image of Naruto dressed exactly like Jagaa flashed through his mind. One of them was bad enough.

"Your analysis is correct." Haku confirmed. "And I am truly hurt by that last comment, Naruto-kun."

X X X X X

Steel clashing against steel echoed through the mist covered area that was the battle ground of Jagaa and Zabuza, sparks casting eerie flashes of orange and red, marking the movements of the two combatants through the white haze.

Leaping away from the current deadlock with his younger opponent, Zabuza circled to the right about twenty meters before launching back at Jagaa with his blade poised to sever the man's neck. Instead, Zabuza's large blade was once again stopped the smaller blade of Jagaa's before he was forced to dodge away from the scarred man's counter attack that would have taken off Zabuza's arm if it had connected. Growling in frustration, the bandaged Jounin leapt back to put some distance between them and regroup. The former Kiri Ninja could also admit to himself the he was relieved when Jagaa made no move to pursue and instead also decided to use the chance to consider his options.

"Hn, it would seem that the _Kirigakure no Jutsu_ has no effect on you." Zabuza conceded grudgingly. "I didn't know that you were also a master of silent killing."

Jagaa grinned at the Kiri Nuka Nin. "It's just like I've been beating into Naruto for the last five years and just started beating into my three new annoyances. Keep your true abilities hidden as much as possible and you'll have an edge in battle. By the way, did you really have to teach the brat the _Suiryuudan no Jutsu_? I was having a hard enough time making him stick with the basics and then you hand him one of the most destructive water jutsu on the market. Do you have any idea how much eight year old boys _love_ causing destruction?"

Zabuza smirked behind his wrappings, pleased to hear that his plan to make life difficult for the annoying, scarred man had been a success. Well, that and because every little boy should be allowed to cause some wanton destruction now and then. It was almost a rite of passage.

The Nuka nin's amusement was short lived as he felt a disturbance in the air in front of him and jumped clear just in time to avoid an unseen strike that cleaved the tree behind him in two. Landing on a branch of a tree that was not falling, Zabuza glared in the direction he knew his opponent to be. "I thought you were the one who said no jutsu?"

"The _Kazegiri_?" Jagaa asked innocently. "I figured it was more like a sword technique since it doesn't require seals. Besides, you're the one who used the _Kirigakure no Jutsu_ first you know."

'_For all the good it did me._' Zabuza thought darkly before his eyes widened and he spun around just in time to block the slash to his neck.

"But if you're gonna cry about it," Jagaa smirked as he flipped high over the taller Jounin, his blade slashing down to split the other man's head. Zabuza leaned forward just enough to let the slim blade brush the back of his neck then spun his body and brought his own large blade into a powerful chop intended to sever Jagaa vertically. The scarred man however simply brought his own sword to bear and used his counter strike as leverage to smoothly rotate over the large weapon and push away before righting himself and landing lightly on his feet on another tree branch. "I'll just go back to hacking at you up close and personal." Jagaa finished as if he had never been interrupted by the quick exchange.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed and he charged in again in an attempt to overwhelm his opponent. Grasping the handle of his Kubikiri Houcho made an upward diagonal slash, tearing the trees bark as he did to add debris with his swing as a distraction.

Ignoring the pieces of wood completely and simply letting it bounce off him, Jagaa leaned his body just enough right to avoid the attack. Throwing his sword to his left hand Jagaa struck at Zabuza's unprotected right side, but the ex-Kiri nin was able to react fast enough to block the strike just in time. Undeterred, Jagaa threw his sword behind his back and caught it with his right hand even as he made a quick spin to add power his strike that was this time coming from directly below.

Once again Zabuza was in time to intercept the attack, but this time Jagaa had been planning for that. As the two blades collided once again Jagaa leapt into the air, pulling his sword in tight to his body and going into several high speed flips. After the third rotation, Jagaa unrolled himself and struck hard into Zabuza's hastily raised blade with so much force that the former Kiri ninja was certain his feet had sunk an inch into the tree limb. With a grunt of effort, Zabuza shoved back at the smaller blade in an attempt to throw his opponent off balance, but Jagaa simply put his feet on the flat of the large blade and pushed off, landing several meters away.

A small 'Tch' was the only indication that Jagaa was disappointed in the fact that his aerial attack hadn't managed to break through Zabuza's defense before his amused smirk once again made its way to his face yet again. "See, Bandage Face. Only having size may be able to get the job done, but if all you ever do is pound away in the same style, it starts to get boring for all involved. What you need is some bad ass techniques if you really want to satisfy."

Zabuza growled in annoyance and pointed his over sized sword at Jagaa. "What is it with you and your stupid innuendos? There damned annoying and have nothing to do with the actual fight."

Jagaa tilted his head in apparent confusion. "What the hell you talkin about burn victim? I haven't made any innuendos."

Zabuza's eye twitched. "You're really gonna stand there and tell me you weren't making sexual innuendoes about dick size and performance? I suppose you're also going to say you weren't making any cracks a week ago with the _compensate_ joke."

"I've been talking about swords and fighting abilities this whole time." Jagaa claimed indignantly. "And the compensate crack was about using that over sized butcher knife to compensate for your complete lack of real skills." Jagaa paused and his voice became suspicious. "Hold on. Are you telling me that the whole time we've been fighting you…" The scarred man's face lit up in horror as he pointed at the older Jounin. "Oh my _God_! You've been thinking about _dicks_ this whole time! I knew it! You're gay! I bet you and Haku are little butt buddies when no one is around! AH HA! That's why you use the _Kirigakure no Jutsu_ so much isn't it!? So you can sneak up on your opponents and ass rape them! Well you're not gonna get me you bastard!" Jagaa emphasized his point by holding his left hand protectively over his posterior.

Zabuza could only stare wide eyed at the scarred man who was now actively making sure to keep his rear defended and out of sight. Slowly everything that Jagaa had said worked its way into his shocked mind and his anger started to rise to murderous intensity. "DIE!" He roared as he charged the younger man, intent on chopping him into very small pieces.

Instead of defending, Jagaa let out a very girlish scream and ran away as fast as he could while continuing to scream at the top of his lungs. "HELP! THE ASS RAPIST OF THE MIST IS AFTER ME!"

"I'm going to murder you!" Zabuza shouted back as he continued to chase down the fleeing man.

"OH MY GOD! HE SAID HE'S GOING TO MURDER MY ASS! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"I did _not_ say that! You're putting words in my mouth you little shit!"

"THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'LL _EVER_ PUT IN YOUR MOUTH YOU FLAMER BASTARD!"

"DIE! A thousand times, _DIE_!"

X X X X X

Naruto and Sasuke were dodging like mad men to avoid becoming human pincushions. With both of them being so fixated on avoiding the raining needles and their backs to each other, neither boy knew they were about to collide until they simultaneously let out a grunt upon back to back impact. With both their paths of avoidance having been abruptly halted, they had no choice but to grab kunai in each hand and defend each other's back from the hail of needles.

Surprisingly, it worked far better than they could have hoped. After trying to be aware of attack from almost every conceivable direction for the entire fight, suddenly having their area of concentration cut in half had the same effect on the difficulty of defending.

"We should have done this right from the start!" Naruto crowed happily. "Sure I don't like the fact I have to physically touch you, Teme, but I'd take dealing with that over Haku's needles any day."

"The feeling, on both issues, is mutual." Sasuke grunted out through as he blocked a fresh attack.

Naruto grinned at the other boy's reply. "I'm surprised that you're doing so well though. Considering it's your first time fighting Haku. I'm almost impressed."

"Well I _was_ being trained by that sadist you call a brother for the last week. Who's motto, I'm almost positive, is 'Improve them fast or kill them slow'." Sasuke grated out, pure hatred radiating off of him as he remembered the nightmarish week.

"So you noticed that too." Naruto said with a short laugh, completely understanding the other boy's anger. "Seriously though, if we can keep this up, we'll have this fight in the bag. Haku's mirrors cause some serious drain on his chakra by themselves. The fact that he's putting a genjutsu over them as well means he's probably really starting to feel the effect." Naruto's hands blurred as he deflected several needles. "All we have to do is hold out until he runs out of steam."

From his concealed position in his mirrors, Haku was forced to agree with Naruto's assessment of the situation. Already the ice user could feel the strain on his reserves as he continued to use his bloodline. At best, and only if he reduced the number of mirrors he was currently using, he could last another eight to ten minutes. Eight to ten minutes his opponents would probably last easily with their combined defensive position.

It was a mistake, Haku realized, to attack both of them at the same time instead of just focusing on one. However, if he hadn't, he would have been allowing the second time to possibly form a counter attack or even escape his mirrors' area, both being possibilities that could have quickly tipped the tides in their favor. Unfortunately Haku's attempts to ensure neither boy could escape his technique had also made it difficult to analyze their dodging patterns the way he had with Jounin woman, so the tides had slowly turned in their favor anyway. Haku felt his ire rising at his quickly declining situation. At this rate, he was going to fail the task assigned to him by Zabuza-san yet again. As much as Haku didn't want to really harm Naruto, he also couldn't handle the thought of disappointing his savior a second time.

The ice user's eyes narrowed in thought as an idea to possibly bring him victory, or at least a draw, which would almost be as beneficial. It was a gamble, but it could work. With a small nod to himself, Haku gathered the last of his chakra and made his move.

"ABOVE!" Naruto shouted in warning to his current teammate when a reflection of light alerted him to the five mirrors forming directly over their heads. It wasn't a moment too soon as Sasuke and Naruto leapt away from each other to avoid the barrage of needles that would have impossible to fully block. Turning quickly to check on Sasuke, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw what was about to happen. Before he could even consider stopping himself, Naruto launched towards Sasuke with all the speed he could force from his legs.

Even as he jumped clear of the sudden overhead attack, Sasuke realized his mistake. The three quarter dome of mirrors that had formed around the spot he would obviously be landing would have him instantly almost completely surrounded save the side with the entrance he was passing through. Coming from so many angles as well as the close proximity of mirrors, Sasuke knew there was no possibility of defending the attack that was certain to hit him as soon as he landed.

It was strangely surreal the way time slowed down for him. He could clearly see the gleams of light reflecting off the various mirrors that each held an identical image of Haku who was raising his arm in preparation to throw the needles clutched in his fist like claws as soon as Sasuke had fully entered his trap. The Uchiha couldn't help but wonder if Sakura had gone through something similar as well when she knew she was about to die…because of him. Truly, no mere apology could ever make up for what he had almost done to his pink haired teammate.

Too bad he would never be able to try to earn her forgiveness.

Sasuke felt his feet touch the ground, saw Haku's hand start moving with his attack. Then, time sped up again as Sasuke felt something wrench him backwards by his collar and the raven haired boy saw the tops of the trees flash by before he landed hard on his back. Instinct and training taking effect, Sasuke twisted his body to roll backwards and came to a stop in a crouch. Snapping his head up to see what happened, the Uchiha's throat went dry.

Naruto crouched in the middle of the mirrors that only moments before had surrounded Sasuke, senbon needles sticking out from almost every point on his body. Blood dripping from the wounds and his breathing labored from pain, Naruto appeared ready to fall at any moment even as he struggled to keep consciousness.

"That was surprising, Naruto-kun." Haku admitted, a single image of himself visible amongst the mirrors. "To be able to respond to my surprise attack and pull your teammate out of harm's way, you certainly have improved beyond even what I had originally thought since we last met."

"T-thanks." Naruto panted as he painfully pulled a needle out of his left shoulder.

Sasuke stared at the blonde who continued to pull needles from his body, his mind trying to process what had just happened. "Why?" He finally asked. "Why did you protect me?"

"Tch, you really are dumb, Teme." Naruto said heavily. Slowly turning his head, Naruto gave Sasuke a tired grin. "Haven't you realized it yet? When you're on a mission your teammates, no matter who they are, are your family, and family should be protected no matter what."

All words left Sasuke as he stared at his golden haired teammate. Naruto had said almost the exact same thing a week ago when he had Sasuke by the throat. Only at the time, with Naruto filled with rage and Sasuke filled with shock over what had almost happened, the words had as much effect as they could have. Now though, as he stared at the grinning visage of his whisker marked companion, Sasuke felt their effect far more than he could ever describe.

"You are truly strong, Naruto-kun." A single image of Haku acknowledged sincerely. "And you will only continue to become stronger as you fight for your precious people. However, I cannot allow you to kill Gatou." The images began spreading throughout the now visible mirrors and each one was raising its right hand holding senbon needles. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."

Naruto shot a friendly smile to the ice user. "No worries, Haku. It's just part of the job after all." Haku responded with his own sad smile as he drew back for his attack.

'_No!_' Sasuke mentally shouted as he watched what was about to happen. It wasn't right. It shouldn't be Naruto. Naruto shouldn't even have been able to reach Sasuke in time to pull him away and take the hit in his place. So, why?

'_This…_' Sasuke realized with a terrible clarity. '_This is just like Sakura. Because I was foolish. Because I was weak. I've put another teammate in danger. And this time, there won't be anyone to save them._' Sasuke's eyes started to burn with so many emotions that he could never have named them all, but one stood out apart from the rest. Determination. '_No! I won't let it happen again! I won't let another teammate suffer for my mistake!_' Sasuke's legs were moving before he even finished the thought, only one objective raging through his mind.

To save his teammate.

Once again, time slowed down for the young Uchiha. Only this time it was different. This time, Sasuke didn't have the feeling of being trapped in a single moment but was instead seeing many moments at once while still being in full control of his own movements. His eyes still burning strangely, Sasuke could see Haku's arm beginning to move for his throw and knew it was too late to stop it. However, though he couldn't explain it, Sasuke could somehow trace the trajectory that the needles would fly with pinpoint precision. The Uchiha's hand dove into his weapons pouch and produced three kunai which he immediately sent flying at the same moment Haku's weapons left his own hand.

Both sets of weapons slowed in their travel to Sasuke's burning eyes, but the Uchiha knew his aim was true. The weapons would reach each other less than half a meter in front of Naruto and the lighter needles would be easily knocked aside by the Kunai. Satisfied with that knowledge, Sasuke focused on getting to Naruto before Haku, who had begun switching mirrors to get behind the blonde, could launch his next attack. It would be close, but Sasuke was certain that the surprise of seeing his needles intercepted would delay the older boy's attack just long enough to get to his blonde teammate.

The distance was almost covered, the two sets of weapons collided with a steely ring, Haku's eyes widened and hesitated for the smallest of instances before throwing a new volley, Sasuke arrived, and Naruto turned to the sound of clashing steel behind him.

Blue eyes widened in shock at the sight of Sasuke standing directly behind him, a kunai in each hand and surrounded by the needles he had deflected with them. "Te…me…?"

"Jeez. What are you doing, Moron?" Sasuke said as he turned to smirk back at the disbelieving boy. "I never thought that I would have to be the one saving _you_."

Any other time, that comment would have gotten an immediate rise out of the short tempered blonde. However, this time, Naruto's thoughts were focused on something else. The first being the questions of how the Uchiha had even managed to stop Haku's first attack and still make it in time to stop the second as well? The second, was what he was seeing at that moment. "Sasuke…your eyes."

"The Sharingan." Haku said just loud enough to be overheard.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he quickly looked to one of Haku's remaining mirrors. Sure enough, blood red eyes, each bearing two tomoe, stared back at him in place of his normal coal black eyes. "H-how...?"

"It would appear that I must admit defeat." Haku's regretful voice drew the other two's attention to see him step from his ice mirror, which immediately began dissolving along with the others in the area, and collapse onto his hands and knees while breathing heavily. "I had intended to quickly take one of you out and then use the last of my chakra to surround the finish off the second, but with the appearance of the Uchiha's bloodline, that plan was completely destroyed. I no longer have the strength to continue this battle." Looking up at the pair, Haku gave them a sad smile. "It's your win."

"Haku…" Naruto started but was unable to find the right words. He knew how much Zabuza meant to the older boy and failing him a second time was probably something that Haku considered unbearable.

"It's all right, Naruto-kun." Haku said, his sad smile never leaving his face. "There can only ever be one winner, and that means there must also be a loser. Please go and accomplish your mission, Naruto-kun."

Naruto watched the older boy for a few more moments before closing his eyes and nodding once. "Right." Opening his once again determined eyes, Naruto quickly pulled the remaining needles from his body and climbed shakily to his feet. "Let's go, Teme. We still have to take out the garbage before we can head home."

"Yeah." Sasuke agreed as he drew up alongside his injured companion. "You sure you can walk though, Moron. You took a quite a few hits."

"Tch, don't compare me to a pansy like you, Teme." Naruto grunted. "I can take way more than this before I'll be down for the count." The whiskered boy paused for a moment. "But, I guess I should say thanks for saving my ass. I guess that makes us even then, huh?"

"…No." Sasuke responded with a shake of his head. "I still owe you more than I may ever be able to repay for you saving Sakura. Thank you…Naruto."

Naruto gave the raven haired boy a sidelong glance before placing his gaze forward again. "Keep saying things like that, Teme, and I might start to think there's some hope for you after all."

And for the first time in a week, Sasuke started to feel better.

X X X X X

Jagaa halted in his movements and turned his head to the left, a small smile rising on his features. "Looks like it's over." He muttered before turning back to Zabuza. "It's our win, Bandage face."

"What are you talking about?" The older man asked suspiciously.

"Girly boy's chakra has weakened to the point it's almost unnoticeable, while the Brat's and the Emo's is still decent. In fact, the two of them are heading for Gatou's warehouse right now, and I can tell that he doesn't have any other ninja to guard him. That means your boss is finished." Jagaa smirked at the larger man. "Sure, you could try to get there in time to stop them, but you'd still have to get through me, and we both know that your chances of you managing that and still having time to save your paycheck isn't very high."

Zabuza growled lowly. He knew that the scarred man was right, especially if some of the rumors he had overheard about the sunglass wearing annoyance were true. The chances of Zabuza getting through Jagaa at all were slim, and getting to Gatou in time almost nonexistent.

Seeing Zabuza's contemplation, Jagaa decided to add a bit more. "So how about you just admit that you've lost this one and go take care of your own brat. Knowing him and his hero worship of you, he's probably taking his failure to meet your expectations pretty hard."

Zabuza was drug out of his thoughts by that. "What do you mean?" He asked guardedly.

Jagaa snorted. "Oh come on. Even you should be able to see how much you mean to that boy. Honestly, it's almost frightening because I can't help but worry that one day he might take his own life if he really feels like he's no use to you anymore. Seriously, you'd better teach that boy some independence soon if you don't want to end up looking at his corpse someday because he felt failed one too many missions."

Zabuza's eyes widened slightly. He didn't think Haku would actually go that far, but still, the thought of it happening was oddly…painful. "I'll think about it." He finally said grudgingly.

"Good to hear." Jagaa beamed. "Well, I'm gonna go make sure my own brats do the job right and don't trip at the finish line. So you be a good Tou-chan and go check on the girlish son of yours. Later." Before Zabuza could say anything, Jagaa disappeared in a whirl of wind and leaves.

"That bastard." Zabuza growled as he turned to go in the direction Haku should be. "Always saying annoying shit like that. Just like that time…"

///Flashback///

"_Oi, Bandage Face." Jagaa called as he walked over to a fuming Zabuza. "Don't you think you're being a bit too hard on girly boy? I mean, sure, if he had killed those guards we could have snuck in instead of smashing our way through, but come on, we both know we both prefer the more direct approach anyway. So what does it matter?"_

"_It wasn't a tactical mistake." Zabuza growled. "He was swayed by his own kindness and it made things more difficult. If he's to be the weapon I need, he can't let his emotions influence him."_

"_A weapon, huh?" Jagaa said before shrugging and walking back the direction he came. "To me you look more like a father who places to high of expectations on his son. But hey, what do I know."_

_Zabuza stared at Jagaa's retreating back before snorting and turning away. "Che. Annoying bastard. Haku is a weapon. Nothing more."_

///Flashback End///

Little had Zabuza known, but those words had sewn a small seed into his emotions, and with today's revelations, that seed was starting to grow. Zabuza knew he had to do something about Haku if he wanted to keep the boy from becoming so depressed at failure that he was willing to take his own life or let someone else take it for him. Zabuza didn't want to lose his s…his weapon that way.

"Annoying bastard." The former Kiri nin growled as he used _shunpo_ to quicker reach Haku.

X X X X X

"Somebody answer me! What's going on out there!? Somebody give me a report! WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Gatou's shout was followed by a massive explosion that threw the chair from under him and sent him sprawling to the floor. Groaning, the little man crawled back up to his intercom and glared at it with a mixture fury and fear. Not one person had reported in since the explosions started, leaving the screams of pain and building rattling explosions the only knowledge Gatou had of what was happening outside his office.

Obviously it was attack of some kind, but from who? All the reports he had gotten showed the Konoha Ninja hired by the people of Wave were staying close to the town in order to protect that accursed bridge that was being built. They shouldn't even have known the location of his headquarters in the Wave anyways. After the first uprising, caused by that bastard 'Hero' of theirs, Gatou had made sure to keep his location secret in order to avoid any possible raids from the towns folk.

A noise outside his door drew his attention just before that same door blew violently inwards with a huge blast of wind that threw the little man to the far wall as well as coated his office in debris. Coughing painfully and struggling to regain his breath, the tycoon looked up to his now decimated entry way to see two children, one blonde and one dark haired, striding into the room.

"All I'm saying is that I'd rather you not use me as practice to keep track of your allies while you're throwing those fire balls around, Teme." The blonde declared indignantly to his companion.

"Would you rather I use you, who can defend against them, or Sakura and Ino who can't?" The dark haired one retorted. "I'm trying to learn _not_ to put my teammates in danger after all. Besides, Moron, I don't think you have any right to be mad at me when you could've brought the entire building down on us with that _Fuuton: Daittooppa_ you've been using."

"That's different. _I_ know what I'm doing." The blonde growled.

The dark haired boy's eyes narrowed on the blonde. "So you _meant_ to almost crush both of us with a chandelier. If I remember correctly, after we jumped out of the way, your exact words were, 'Oops'."

"…Shut up, Teme."

As the two young boys were talking, Gatou looked past them to the visible hallway for any signs that his men were coming, only for his mouth to go dry. Bloody and smoking bodies, rubble and debris scattered across the floor, and entire sections of wall and ceiling completely gone, the once expensively furnished hallway was now nothing more than a battle ground. The trollish tycoon didn't need to see the rest of his base to know that the scene would be exactly the same no matter where he went.

Just as he knew that nobody would be coming to help him.

"So, you're Gatou."

Said man fearfully turned his eyes to the voice and found himself staring into cold, blue eyes that could belong to the shinigami himself. "W-who are you? W-what do you want?" The little man stammered out.

"Us?" Naruto questioned, pointing to himself and glancing at Sasuke before giving Gatou a foxy smile. "Why we're nothing more than simple trash collectors, and we're just here to take out some garbage." His smile dimming only slightly, Naruto lowered his eyes back to the little man.

Gatou's blood turned to ice in his veins as he locked eyes with the blonde before him. There was no mercy, no hesitation, in those frigid blue orbs that held his own. "W-wait a second!" The little man pleaded. "Just tell me what it is you want! Money? I can pay you far more than that pathetic little town ever could! Power? I'll give you all that I have! I can give you anything you want! Anything! Just name it!" The tycoon felt a wave of relief when the blonde appeared to be considering it. Maybe Gatou would make it out of this alive after all.

"Hmm, what do I want?" The boy mused. Then his cold blue eyes changed, becoming a murderous, fiery red and his pupils elongating into thin slits. "What I want, is for you to give back all that you've ever taken in your lust for money and power! What I want is for all the lives you've ruined, all the happiness you've destroyed, to be returned!" The boy's demonic eyes burned into Gatou's soul with a malevolent intensity. "What I _want_, is for you to give a woman back her husband, and a child back his father!"

Then the boy closed his eyes, breaking the lock he'd held over Gatou and only then allowing the man to realize he had, at some point, lost control over his bodily functions. "However, those are things you can never do." The boy continued in a quieter voice. "What you've taken from these people…you can never return to them, and no amount of repentance would ever be enough to make up for what you've done." The boy's eyes snapped open again, and Gatou's heart fluttered under the certainty of what he could see behind those blood red orbs. "That's why…I want you to die."

The boy's arm shot forward, and all Gatou knew was pain. He needn't look to know what it was that cause the agony in his chest, nor could he have looked even if he wanted to as blood red eye's held his own. Those eyes that would be the last thing he ever saw as the grip on his heart slowly tightened. Those eyes, that became all he could see as the rest of the world fell into inky blackness.

The eyes that would follow him even to the deepest pit of hell he had condemned himself to.

X X X X X

Sasuke could find no words as he looked upon the scene before him. Gatou, now nothing more than an ugly corpse, lay on the cold floor with blood leaking from his mouth and the opening in his chest in front of the person who'd killed him, Naruto.

His expression hard and his blue eyes cold, the young blonde made no movements as he stared down at the body in front of him with unnerving intensity, blood dripping from the hand that had crushed the heart of the evil tycoon.

Sasuke knew Naruto could kill. He had seen the boy's efficiency in that field on the day Gatou's men had attacked them. It had been his envy of that display of skill and professionalism that had driven Sasuke to kill as well in his prideful attempts to show the other boy up. However, this was distinctly different. This time there had been no army of men bearing down on them, no heat of battle to which the killings could be easily justified. No, this time Naruto had been cold, professional, and ruthless. He had taken a life that bore him no threat in a merciless manner and showed no signs of showing the slightest trace of regret, and even though he knew that the killing had been justified, Sasuke couldn't help but feel apprehension towards his blonde comrade.

"Ah, is it over already?" A familiar voice questioned. Sasuke looked behind him to find his Sensei walking towards them. "Damn. I wanted to see the ugly midget die in an agonizing way. Oh well." Jagaa let out an exaggerated sigh of acceptance as he stepped over one of the larger chunks of rubble coating the hallway.

"Hey, Nii-san." Naruto said, only then turning away from Gatou's corpse to give his older brother a partially accusing look. "What happened to Uncle Zabuza?"

"Relax, Brat, bandage face is alive and well." Jagaa replied and Naruto showed visible relief. "He was going to check on girly boy last I saw of him. By the way, what took you so long to beat the Bishonen anyway? I thought you said you had a plan to counter his technique?"

Naruto's face took on a slightly disgusted tone. "He was expecting that and changed up how he attacked. He developed a genjutsu that hid his mirrors so I didn't know where or how close they were. Besides, I also had to watch Teme's back so he wouldn't die."

"Excuse me." Sasuke cut in irritably. "But didn't _I_ save _your_ life at the end?"

"Only after I saved you." Naruto shot back. "Besides, Haku wouldn't have actually killed us…I think."

"Then why did you bother saving _me_?" The Uchiha countered aggressively.

"I told you! I don't know!" The blonde growled half at himself. "It sure as hell wasn't because I _like_ your teme ass!" Blue eyes met black in a glaring contest that neither seemed willing to concede on.

"Wow, this trip worked out better than I'd hoped." Jagaa said cheerily. "The Emo's gotten some fire back, and now the two of you are even becoming friends."

"There's no way in _hell_ I'd ever be his friend!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Sasuke angrily.

"I have to agree with the moron there." Sasuke said giving Naruto a haughty sidelong glance. "I'd be better off befriending a pile of rotting puss than this idiot."

"What the fuck did you just say!?" The blonde snarled, rounding on Sasuke and holding out his hands like claws.

"You heard me!" Sasuke shouted back, his eyes shifting into their Sharingan state. "Or are you too stupid to figure it out!"

'_Damn. I wished I'd brought some popcorn._' Jagaa thought amusedly even as he prepared to step in if it looked like it was actually going to come to blows, meaning any second now. '_I wonder if this how others feel when they see me and Princess at each other's throats?_' Hearing the sound of a clock chiming, Jagaa decided it would be best to cut the fun short and get them all back before said Princess found out they were gone and stepped in just as the two boys were starting to reach for their Kunai.

X X X X X

Seeing as she was a Kunoichi, Yuuhi Kurenai was no stranger to finding herself in some unexpected situations. However, being woken up by her two female students at the crack of dawn so she could oversee their sparring session had been one event that the red eyed woman would _never_ have thought possible judging from the personalities and drive they had displayed since being put on her team. And yet, here she was, eyes still tired from the surprise wake up an hour ago, watching her blonde and pink haired students going at each other with a vigor the Jounin thought would take years to develop if it developed at all.

Ducking an inside fan kick from Sakura, Ino twisted and stepped in while slapping her right hand around her left fist to add power to the back elbow she was aiming for the other girls gut. Not having time to dodge, Sakura shifted her weight to her right leg that had just hit the ground and snapped up her left knee just in time to knock Ino's strike off course then snapped her leg out towards the blonde's face. Ino leaned back just enough to let the kick pass in front of her face and quickly finished her rotation so she was facing Sakura again while at the same time catching the girl's leg on her right shoulder. Leaning forward and pushing off the ground with both legs, the blonde sent the pink haired girl falling backwards to land heavily on the hard ground. Instead, using her natural flexibility, Sakura managed to use the momentum of the attack to send herself into a series of hasty back hand springs to land safely on her feet a few meters away. With only a few short breaths and a quick attempt to find an opening, both girls attacked again.

Kurenai still couldn't believe these were the same two girls that had been placed under her charge. Before, in the few spars they had actually done amongst the team, both girls had been more worried about their appearance in front of their crush actually trying to improve their combat abilities. They would barely so much as throw a punch at each other much less actively attack one and other only to spend ten minutes after the 'Spar' was over checking their hair and makeup with a small mirror they had kept somewhere on their person.

It, quite frankly, had _sickened_ the Jounin woman.

Now however, Kurenai could see that neither of the girls had even yet to put on makeup, much less be worried about it running. Even more surprising was Sakura's long pink hair that she usually spent an hour combing every morning, even if she had to do it while walking, had been wrapped into a tight but untidy bun at the back of her head to keep it out of her way. Ino's hair was in its usual long ponytail, however Kurenai could see quite a few stray strands that had not quite stayed in the rubber band. A large change from the girl's usual obsession with not letting a single hair be out of place.

The sound of a solid impact brought the woman out of her thoughts and she looked to see Sakura kneeling on the ground and holding her stomach in front of a heavily breathing Ino.

"Ha, I win again, Forehead." Ino panted while still managing to give her rival a victorious grin. "Better luck tomorrow."

Sakura glared up the smug blonde. "One of these days I'm gonna rub that cocky face of yours into the dirt, Ino pig." In response the other girl grinned wider and then mockingly stuck out her tongue.

Kurenai's eyes were wide as she watched Ino help her winded teammate back to her feet. "That was incredible! Both of you were fantastic!" She said in disbelief, earning a decent blush from both the girls. In all honestly, Kurenai had seen much better spars from other Genin in her days. But considering what the girls' spars had been like before, it was almost like comparing a preschool pushing contest to Kage level battle in Kurenai's eyes. She was that impressed. "The two of you have improved tremendously both mentally and physically."

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." Sakura said, her cheeks still tinged a light pink. "I've been trying my best lately since…well you know. When I realized I needed to become a lot stronger." Kurenai felt a wave of sympathy for the girl but was surprised when her eyes once again gained strength. "That's why I'll keep training and become a strong Kunoichi that will make you and Jagaa-sensei proud."

Kurenai wouldn't admit it just yet, but Sakura's simple declaration had already made the woman far prouder than what she was letting on. Kurenai was glad to see that the events of the mission were having a positive effect on the girl. "I know you will, Sakura." The Jounin woman said with a small smile.

"Che, not like you'll have much of a choice with that slave driver of another sensei we have." Ino grumbled. "Have you forgotten why we're out here to begin with?" Ino's reminder caused both Sakura and herself to shudder heavily.

"What does that mean?" Kurenai questioned with an arched brow.

"Well, on the way back yesterday." Sakura started. "Jagaa-sensei told us that he expects us to continue training diligently, even if we're not doing survival training."

"Because if he ever decides that we've been slacking off," Ino continued almost fearfully. "Then he's gonna drag us off for more 'Survival' training, and next time…for a _month_!" Both girls looked about ready to panic simply at the thought, leaving Kurenai to wonder yet again just what Jagaa had done to the three of them during the last week.

"Ino! Sakura!" The Two girls went rigid at the voice of the very man they had been talking about came from behind them. "Come with me."

"NO! PLEASE! WE'RE TRAINING! WE'RE TRAINING" The two girls cried out in unison as they tried to flee only to be stopped by Jagaa grabbing their shoulders.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The man questioned. "Never mind, I don't care. I just need your help, so come on." Before any questions or objections could be raised, the man threw a girl over each of his shoulders and sped off.

Kurenai blinked several times at the sudden arrival and departure. "Huh? Wait!" The woman called out as she began to give chase. "STOP KIDNAPPING OUR STUDENTS!"

X X X X X

Naruto's eye twitched as he sat at the large wooden desk beside the obviously hastily built stand that it seemed everyone in the town was lined up in front of, which was a strong possibility, to buy the item that Jagaa had proudly produced that morning. The item had proven to be a very large hit among the people of the wave which was why all the members of both team 7 and 8 had been pressed into service by the scarred man to run the stand. The exceptions of course being Kakashi, who would not be deterred from his reading, and Kurenai, who had been glaring dangerously at her scarred partner since he produced the product.

_Hmm, what do I want…? What I want is for you to give back all that you've ever taken in your lust for money and power! What I want is for all the lives you've ruined, all-_

The boy ground his teeth as his own voice, coming from the speaker on the top of the stand, continued to play for everyone to hear. "Nii-san." He grated out, glaring murderously at the culprit. "Exactly _how_ did you manage to get that recording?"

"I hid a transmitter under the plate of your headband." Jagaa answered easily as he handed a disk to an eager customer. "Thank you, and don't forget the Gatou Killing Hero will be signing autographs for only 3 Ryo in thirty minutes."

Naruto quickly felt his Hitai-ate and sure enough there was a small opening in the seam under the metal plate that, after a quick scoop of his finger, revealed a tiny radio device. "Holy crap!" the boy exclaimed. "Where did you get this?"

"I know a guy nearby who works with radios and transmitters, so a few days ago I looked him up and told him my plan. I have to give him ten percent of the profits, but he agreed to help me out." Jagaa turned to the back of the stand. "Kiba! Emo! We need more boxes!"

"Quit calling me that." Sasuke grunted as he staggered out with three heavy boxes of disks.

"Sensei," Sakura asked from her position in front of Naruto. She had been pressed into the duty of keeping the crowds from mobbing him. "When did you have time to see your friend when you were busy tort…I mean training us.

"Remember that time I left the three of you dangling over a pit of sharpened stakes and pit vipers, tied up with chakra resistant rope, and rigged to a device that would cut away your tether if you struggled to hard to escape?" Sakura paled and nodded once. "That was when." Jagaa finished with a grin.

"You did _what_!?" Kurenai shouted aghast.

"WHAT!" Ino screeched, rounding on her male sensei. "You mean you weren't actually around to save us if we fell!? We could have _died_!"

"I don't remember ever saying I _would_ be there to save you." Jagaa replied easily as he handed a disk to another customer, who was looking at him rather uneasily. "So it's a good thing you didn't do anything reckless, huh. And would you please put the kunai away, Princess? Now isn't the time to try to kill me. Too many witnesses. Wait till later." Very, _very_, grudgingly, Kurenai decided to agree and put the weapon intended to skin the man alive back in her pouch.

"I'm not doing this." Naruto said firmly as he stood up from the table. "Yes, Gatou needed to die, but I don't want people praising me for it. It doesn't feel right."

"Well, I guess that is your choice." Jagaa conceded as Naruto began to walk away. "Although I _was_ planning to let you use your share of the profits to buy all the Ichiraku Ramen you could eat," Naruto instantly froze in his tracks, "but I won't stop you if you really want to go."

"…A-all the Ichiraku I can eat?" The boy questioned in a hushed tone, his face hidden due to his back being to them.

"All. You. Can. Eat." The scarred man replied compellingly in his own hushed voice.

With speed to fast to follow, Naruto was back in his seat with a pen in hand and an eager smile. "Well, who am I to deprive these good people of the chance to greet their hero? Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! The great Uzumaki Naruto-sama is here!"

"I love it when I win." Jagaa said with a grin.

X X X X X

"So this is where you were." Kurenai said as she shut the door of the private tavern room behind her. "You just disappeared after the stand sold out."

"I just wanted to get away for a little while." Jagaa said with a shrug before taking a quick drink of Sake. Wiping away the small drop that had spilled over off his lips, he turned his attention back to her. "So what happened after I left? Anything fun?"

"Nothing much. Naruto was signing autographs for several hours until his hand finally cramped up and he started complaining about wanting ramen. Of course, once the townspeople heard that, they started bringing him all the ramen they could." Kurenai shook her head fascination. "I've never actually seen someone cry tears of joy over being given ramen before. That is a very strange child."

"That's Naruto." Jagaa said with a fond grin. "I don't think the townsfolk realize just how much ramen he can eat though. They're in for quite the show." Jagaa took another drink of Sake before tilting his head curiously at the woman. "I'm kinda surprised at the casual, and _calm,_ conversations we're having right now. I figured you'd be out for my blood again with all that's happened."

"I was, at first." The woman admitted. "But then Sakura caught me and told me about a certain talk the two of you had and how much it meant to her." Kurenai couldn't resist the small smirk at the caught look that came over Jagaa. "Who knew you could be so sensitive, Jagaa-_sensei_."

"I knew I should have sworn them to secrecy." The man muttered and then raised his face back to Kurenai. "Still, that doesn't seem like enough for you to just outright forgive me."

"You're right, it isn't." She agreed. "That will depend on your answer to my next question." Taking a slow breath, Kurenai gazed at the man intently. "Why did you have Naruto kill someone in cold blood like that, even though he was only eight years old? And I want the truth. Not some answer that is intended to make me angry." She added when she noticed the small twitch of his lips.

"Damn, busted." Jagaa sighed as he tilted his head back to face the ceiling. "The truth, huh? How long has it been since I simply told the truth, I wonder?" Shaking his head in self amusement, he faced Kurenai again. "The truth is, that I never actually intended for Naruto to kill him." Kurenai's eyes widened in surprise at that, but she didn't comment, instead letting Jagaa continue. "I thought for sure that he wouldn't be able to go through with it. That he would drop the Kunai and say he couldn't do it…That's what I was hoping for any way." A sad smile worked its way to the man's face. "Just like that brat not to do what he's supposed to though."

"Then…why?" Kurenai asked slowly. "Why even tell him to do it?"

"Because he needed to know exactly what kind of path he was walking down." Jagaa said in a firmer voice. "He needed to know that it was those kinds of decisions he'd be forced to make in the future if her continued to be a shinobi, and he needed to know before it was too late to back out. And I think you understand that, even if you don't want to admit it."

"…No…I understand." Kurenai said in a low voice. "I guess I just don't like the idea that he actually did it."

"Neither do I, but at least you didn't have to watch him do it." Jagaa said. "But if there's one good thing that can be said about it. It's that no one can ever doubt his determination to reach his dreams. That boy is going to be the Hokage one day, and I have no doubts he'll be the best damned Hokage your village has ever seen or will see again. Then those asshole villagers can shove their hatred right up their fucking asses." He finished viciously.

Kurenai couldn't stop the small smile that graced her features. "You really do have a lot of love for Naruto, don't you?"

"He's my otouto." Jagaa replied simply.

"I suppose that's true." Kurenai said. Seeing the small, unused saucer on the table, Kurenai picked it up and held out to Jagaa. "May I?"

"By all means." Jagaa replied in a surprised but pleased voice as he poured the woman some Sake and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence for a time, each in their own thoughts.

Finally, Kurenai spoke again in a hushed voice. "You know. I never did thank you, did I?" She looked back up to Jagaa, her eyes soft and grateful. "For saving my life in the fight with that Ice user. I never said thank you."

"You don't have to." Jagaa replied, taking a drink. "I may be a pain in the ass who hates taking things seriously and loves to annoy people…especially you." Jagaa smirked for a moment at the glare Kurenai sent him. "But one thing you can count on is that when shit hits the fan and it's time to do or die, I'll always have your back." Jagaa raised his Sake bottle to the woman. "That's what it means to be partners."

Kurenai smiled and raised her saucer. "I'll hold you to that, Jagaa-san." The two of them took a drink and Kurenai held out her saucer for a refill. "Now, if only I could get you to be that supportive when our lives are _not_ on the line, like during D rank missions."

"Those aren't missions. They're chores." Jagaa stated as he filled the small drinking dish.

"They are missions assigned to us by the Hokage." Kurenai replied firmly. "They should be considered just as important as a mission to defend someone's life."

"Yeah, cause the dog poop we had to shovel was _obviously_ bent on world domination." He replied mockingly. "Good thing we scooped it before into those special containment buckets before it had a chance to kill us all."

"It's that attitude that is going to be a negative influence on our students in the future!"

"Better they learn to have fun than walk around like they have a stick up their ass!"

"How _dare_ you!"

X X X X X

"Man, I'm gonna miss this place." Naruto said as Teams 7 and 8 prepared to leave Tazuna's house. Now that the building of the bridge had been completed their mission was officially over.

"You just liked the attention you got as a hero." Jagaa commented.

"Of course!" The boy said proudly. "I'm gonna be the Hokage after all. I need to get used to being loved by everyone."

"I fear for Konoha if you ever actually do become Hokage." Sasuke said from the side which immediately started a glaring contest between the two.

"Now, now," Kakashi said in a placating tone despite without ever putting down his book. "No need to fight so early in the morning."

"Indeed." Kurenai agreed.

"Man, I just can't wait to get home." Kiba said and Akamaru barked his agreement. "It'll be good to see Mom and Nee-chan again."

"What's the matter, dog breath?" Naruto grinned. "Just imagining you sis not doing it for you anymore?"

"I'm gonna fucking _kill _you!" Kiba snarled.

"I may have asked this before, but are they _really_ friends?" Jagaa muttered to Hinata who simply shrugged in response.

"Both of you cut it out!" Sakura yelled, stepping between them. "Naruto, stop aggravating your teammate when we're trying to leave! And Kiba, you know Naruto is just joking! Quit taking it so seriously!"

Both Naruto and Kiba, along with most everyone else, gaped at the girl in astonishment before finally turning their heads and muttering a quick apology. Smiling, Sakura grabbed Naruto's arm and started dragging him back to his messy area. "Now, Naruto, I'll help you pack so that we can leave sooner. You take forever doing it yourself and it usually looks terrible."

"Uh, thanks, Sakura-chan." Naruto mumbled.

The faintest of blushes rose to the girls face. "No problem."

Both Jagaa and Ino stopped dead in their movements at that before looking at each other. "You don't think…because he saved her…" Jagaa trailed off.

Ino didn't trust herself to answer.

"All right, everybody, it's time to get going." Kakashi said happily. "Let's all go home."

Jagaa snapped out of his daze and turned to the silver haired man and Kurenai. "Hey, I just remembered that I forgot to tell you that I'm gonna have to catch up with you all. I've got something to do before I go back, so just leave ahead of me and I'll meet up with you later."

"What? Where are you planning on going?" Kurenai asked suspiciously.

"It's a personal thing." Jagaa replied. "Oh, I also need to get another camera. I turned the last one in to get developed already. So I'll see you all later." Without another word, he ducked out of the entrance before anyone could say anything.

"He's so damn irresponsible." Kurenai fumed to Kakashi who simply shrugged.

Naruto, who's head had snapped up at the word camera, was looking up at the ceiling intently. "What is it about Nii-san needing a new camera that's bothering me so much?" He muttered just loud enough to be heard.

"Uh, wasn't there something about pictures with some girl?" Ino piped in. "Some kind of love-love pictures?"

Naruto's eyes widened to impossible sizes and he broke out into a cold sweat. How could he have forgotten about that? Even worse, what would Tenten do to him when she found out that he hadn't managed to get those pictures back?

"NII-SAAAAAAAAAAAAN! YOU BAASTAAAAAARRD!" Naruto screamed in despair. "BUN-CHAN IS GOING TO KIIIILLLL MMEEEEEE!"

X X X X X

On the outskirts of the town, Jagaa heard Naruto's cry and broke out into a short bout of chuckles. He knew Naruto had forgotten about that, and he couldn't wait until he actually had the pictures in hand. The thought made him almost giddy with the torture he could put the boy through as long as he didn't lose track of them. Unfortunately, his amusement didn't last long as he remembered what he was about to do. Sighing to himself, the man squared his shoulders and forced himself to move forward.

X X X X X

Not much had changed. That was Jagaa's first impression as he entered the large clearing holding an odd assortment of wildflowers. Even despite the fact it had been around five years since he had been here, it felt the same. Slowly he made his way across the grass to the structure that stood in the middle of the surrounding trees.

The broken and burned wood, now being overgrown with vines and grass, was all that was left of the two room cottage he had once called home. It was actually amazing that the walls, or what was left of them, were still standing after all this time. The scarred man fondly traced his hand across one of the larger sections, a small smile on his face. No matter how much time passed, it always felt as if this broken down cottage was trying to welcome him home. Sometimes, he wished he could bring himself to rebuild it. To bring back to life the home that held so many of his fondest memories. But he knew he never would. It would hurt too much. And somehow, he felt as if the little home understood that. Giving the scorched wall on last gentle pat, Jagaa continued past the broken structure and made his way to his ultimate destination.

There they were. Just like every time before. Two large stones and one smaller one standing side by side behind what had once been his home, waiting for him to arrive. For a brief moment, Jagaa had to pause at the sight, a torrent of emotions running through him. But, like always, he managed to stem the flow and take that first, most difficult step. And soon enough, he was standing directly before them.

"Hey. Been a while, hasn't it?" Jagaa said, his voice soft and affectionate. "Sorry about that. I've just had a lot going on the last few years." Jagaa leaned down and gently placed a portion of his gathered flowers in front of each stone." I hope you like them. I wasn't able to find a professional shop, so I had to use what I could find in the forest, and you know how useless I am when it comes to picking out flowers." He let out a small laugh as he straightened again before his expression became sad again. "I suppose I should tell you a bit about what's been going on, huh?"

Jagaa reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a small bottle of Sake. Uncorking it, he poured a small amount on each of the larger stones before taking a drink himself. "Hope you like that as well. Anyway, I had told you last time I was here that I met a strange little boy in the woods, right? Well, I ended up becoming his Big Brother. Can you believe it? Yeah, I suppose you can. Anyway, I've been living with and training him for the last five years, and it's been the best time of my life since…well you know." Jagaa paused to take another drink before continuing. "He's an annoying brat that doesn't tend to think things through, but he's got a heart of gold despite all the shit he's been through. Did you know that he's the container for the Kyuubi no Yoko? Seriously, he is. He saves people's lives every day just by existing, and he was treated like shit for it in the very village that he saved. You can imagine how well _that_ went over with me. I wanted to level the place at one point, but I knew he wouldn't want that, so I calmed down. I even _work_ for the village now."

The man grinned at the rocks as he took another drink. "Can you believe they actually made me a Jounin sensei? Seriously, I don't know what they were thinking. But I can't back out now, so I try to make the best of it." Jagaa paused reflectively for a moment. "I guess it's not really that bad though. I mean, it took nearly dying, and almost killing a teammate, but they're really starting to come together. They got a long way to go, but I think they'll be all right. Hell, I even think my partner might be starting to calm down a bit. That'd be nice. She's a really good person, that much I can tell, but she's just so uptight about rules and regulations. It just gets a bit annoying at times."

Jagaa shook his head and smiled. "So you see. I'm living my life to the fullest, no matter how much it hurts. Just like you taught me. And I'll keep living as long as I possibly can. Cause I know you'd never forgive me if I just gave up died just because I wanted to see you all again so badly." From under his glasses, a small drip of water rolled down his cheek, followed by another on the opposite side.

"Damn it." Jagaa said in mock irritation as he wiped the moisture away from his face and eyes. "Every freaking time. You'd think I hadn't grown up at all in the last fifteen years, wouldn't you?" Lifting his glasses to better wipe his eyes, Jagaa turned his gaze to the smallest stone. "Don't judge me to harshly, Yukari-chan. Even a super cool and invincible Onii-chan like me needs to cry sometimes." With a pained smile, Jagaa replaced the dark lenses before going back to the three stones.

"I miss you. And will never come a day that I won't. But don't worry. I'm doing all right. And I promise. I'll keep living my life to the fullest so that when my time finally comes, I'll just have that much more to tell you about in person. So…wait for me a while longer. Okay?" Once again, small tears fell from under the dark lenses of his glasses, but this time he did not wipe them and instead reached out his hand to brush the rocks before him.

"I love you. Tou-chan. Kaa-chan." As his fingers touched the smallest stone, his voice cracked slightly. "Yukari-chan." Using every ounce of will power he had, Jagaa withdrew his hand and stood up, taking one last look at the tree grave markers. "Please, keep watching over me."

With those final words, Jagaa left the clearing just as silently as he came while the wind gently rustled the flowers left on the graves of his family.

X X X X X

It was just before dawn on the second day after separating that Jagaa found the camp set up by teams 7 and 8. This didn't bode well for the man though since he was still feeling a bit depressed after his most recent visit home.

"Hmm, this isn't good." Jagaa muttered to himself. "If I'm still like this tomorrow then they'll know something's wrong and start asking questions. Need to think of something." Pondering on how to improve his mood, Jagaa's attention ended up on the tent he recognized to be Kurenai's and his face broke out with a sinister grin. The chances of him surviving this idea were almost nonexistent, but damn would it be worth it. Snickering evilly to himself, Jagaa silently entered his partner Jounin's tent.

X X X X X

Kurenai was more comfortable than she could remember being in a long time as her consciousness slowly returned to the waking world. The warmth of the body she was holding, the rise and fall of the chest her head was resting on. It was just so incredible how simply having someone to hold could-

Kurenai's eyes snapped open. There was _not_ supposed to be another body in her tent and certainly not one she should be sleeping on. Shoving herself off the person beneath her, she was just about to close her hand on the hilt of her Kunai when a familiar voice made her freeze in place.

"Morning, Princess."

Slowly, like an un-oiled machine, Kurenai tilted her face back to the person below her, only to be met with Jagaa's own widely grinning one.

"So…Was it good for you to?" Jagaa asked, his grin widening even further.

Kurenai's scream of rage could've been heard half way across the world as the tent exploded from the two bodies violent movements, Jagaa trying to get away and Kurenai trying to kill him as painfully as she possibly could.

Shouts of panic and warning echoed through the camp as the other members of Teams 7 and 8 shot from their blankets from the belief they were under attack. It only took a few moments for them to figure out what was going on though, and most of them simply went back to bed. This _was _becoming fairly common after all.

Naruto, who had managed to stay asleep even through Kurenai's scream, was suddenly awakened by a feeling of danger and quickly threw a Kunai through the side of his tent. He was rewarded with the sound of steel striking steel as the projectile that was heading for him was knocked from the air.

"I really think you're over reacting, Princess!" Naruto heard Jagaa's familiar voice yell out.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"Sounds like Nii-san is back." Naruto mumbled through a yawn before laying back on his pillow, determined to get some more sleep. Just as he was about to drift off, a revelation hit him and shot back to a sitting position while raising his arms in triumph. "Hell yeah! I only threw _one_!"

**A/N:** We find FTK with his hands in the air staring down the barrel of an AK-47.

No, I wasn't talking crap about you behind your back and of course I hope you enjoyed your vacation. I'm sure the readers do to…oh, speaking of them. Could you give me a second. (FTK looks away from his gun toting Muse and over to you. That's right. You.

So there you have it. I'm not gonna say I hope it was worth the wait, cause quite frankly, I doubt it is. I just hope you all aren't _too_ pissed off at me. Hehehe. Oh, and special shout outs to **FoxylilRaven**, **Cruel Vamp**, **MidnightRayne13**,and **ZortkiyaTheTroll** who all PM'd me to try to get me writing again, as well as **kyubii's shinigami** who actually _yelled_ at me to update. Thanks also going out to everyone who has reviewed or put me on their alert list despite the long absence. Thanks for motivating me guys.

So, until the next chapter, which hopefully won't take as long to post, Ja ne.


	12. All Around Bad Day

**A/N:** Oh yeah, check me out. Bringin in the new year with a new chap, and though it did take longer to finish than I'd have liked, it didn't take _nearly_ as long as last time. Hell, I don't think I even had anybody ask me if I was still alive or anything this time. A complete victory for me.

Oh, and on a side note, I'd like to express, yet again, to all you out there that keep asking about Tenten and Naruto hookin up, to remember that I said before that any real romance between the two will _not_ be happening anytime soon. Seriously, what is with people wanting to see them getting it on while there still only 13-14. You sickos. So, while there will be interactions and even scenes that will help give rise to romantic feelings _later_, no real romance will be happening until they're a few years older. So deal with it.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the newest chap that I and my only somewhat sober Muse have created for you. Now start reading.

**Disclaimer:** Nooo, I do not own Naruuuto. Sooo leave me alooone. (Sing that to the tune of 'I've Been Working on the Railroad'. It's fun.)

**Chapter 12:** An All-Around Bad Day

The Sandaime Hokage was, without a doubt, a rather old man. Already in his seventies, the man had seen a great many things in his career as a Ninja, and a great many more after taking the office that he currently held. Great things, terrible things, joyous things, sorrowful things, so much that he could remember in his long, experienced life. However, there were some things that even he had never seen, or heard of for that matter, and would never have expected to see no matter how long he lived. And this was one of them.

"You can't be serious." The elderly Hokage said as he stared at his son, Sarutobi Asuma, incredulously.

"I'm tellin' ya, Pops, I've never seen anything like it." Asuma said with a shake of his head. "As soon as Chouji started singing that 'Spin the Kitty' song that Ino told him about, the damn cat jumped out of the bushes and surrendered. And I don't mean he just came out and let us catch him. I'm talking, sitting on its ass, paws in the air, and white cloth hanging out of its mouth, _surrendered_. If I didn't know better, I'd even say it was meowing for mercy." Asuma paused and scratched his beard. "Now that I think about it, I heard another Jounin the other day talking about how the cat had suddenly run out and jumped into his arms when one of his students yelled 'Get the matches'."

The Hokage leaned back in his chair with heavy sigh, his pipe held loosely in his right hand while he massaged the bridge of his nose with his left. "This is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard and yet, considering who the perpetrators of the apparent fear inducing events were, I can't find myself able to disbelieve it." The old man stopped in his massaging and leaned his forehead against his hand in order to stare pensively down at his desk. "I swear, sometimes I wish that Naruto had just decided not to come back so that I wouldn't have to deal with _either_ of them."

"Hmph, you say that, but I think, deep down, you actually really enjoy having them around." Asuma said with a shrewd grin. "Not only do they break up the monotony of this place, I think they're two of maybe five people in this village who _don't_ sit there tryin' to kiss your ass. I bet you almost leapt for joy when they got back from their mission the other day."

"I could easily spend the rest of the day arguing that point and telling you how much I enjoyed the lack of incident reports, insults to my age, sabotaged missions, and pranks- as well as the silence of not having them around." The old man replied with a slight edge. "However, there is another, much more important matter that needs to be addressed today." The Hokage gave his son a pointed look. "I believe you know what I'm talking about."

"Hmm, so it's that time already." Asuma mused.

"Indeed." The elder Sarutobi confirmed. "The time for the Chuunin exams has arrived."

X X X X X

"Ah, good morning Kakashi-san." Kurenai said as she, Ino, and Sakura came across the other Jounin and his team.

"Hmm, oh, good morning." Kakashi replied lazily as he looked up from his book and examined the other group. "You seem to be missing a couple members of your team."

The woman sighed pensively and looked back at her female students. "Yes, Jagaa and Sasuke failed to arrive this morning. Quite honestly, I've come to expect such behavior from Jagaa, however this is the first time Sasuke has also failed to come." Kurenai irritably ran her fingers through her hair. "The worst part is that we've spent the last two hours searching but haven't seen a trace of either of them, and I don't know where else to look."

"If I might make an observation, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata offered. "Perhaps the reason you can't find Jagaa-san is because, for once, he's not hiding from you."

Kurenai gave the young Hyuuga a confused stare. "Could you please explain that statement, Hinata?"

"She means that Jagaa and Sasuke are most likely at the training grounds…along with Naruto." Kakashi said, causing the woman to take another look at the Genin with Kakashi, only then realizing that Naruto was indeed missing from the group. She mentally slapped herself for overlooking something so obvious while Kakashi continued. "Naruto told us yesterday that he was going to be training with Jagaa before doing missions today, and that we should pick him up at training ground 10. I'm willing to bet that is where you will find Sasuke as well. We were just on our way there if you'd like to come with us." Kakashi gave the female Jounin an easy going smile as he finished.

"…That might not be a bad idea." Kurenai conceded before berating herself in a low tone. "Why didn't I think to look at the training grounds?"

"Hey, don't worry about it, Kurenai-sensei." Ino said reassuringly. "Me and Sakura didn't think of it either. Probably because Jagaa-sensei never seems to take his job seriously, so you don't think to look where a sensei might usually be."

"She does have a point, Kurenai-sensei." Sakura added.

Kurenai smiled at her two students for their attempts to cheer her up.

"Well, whatever." Kakashi said as he put his nose back in his book. "We should probably get going." Without waiting for an answer the silver haired Jounin began walking off with the rest of the group following suit.

X X X X X

"This…is…_impossible_!"

That was the first thing the arriving members of teams 7 and 8 heard as they approached the training grounds. The second was a loud curse and a squelching splash.

"And that would be failed attempt number thirty seven for the Brat." Jagaa's voice called out in obvious amusement. "That means Emo is currently ahead with seven less-" The was another curse and a splash. "...make that _six_ less failed attempts."

Kurenai, Kakashi, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, and Hinata all stopped cold at the sight they had just come upon involving the three absent males of their respective teams, none of them quite sure what to make out of what they were seeing.

In the middle of a rather large pool of mud that could only have been formed that morning, Naruto and Sasuke were shirtless and cursing profusely as they each climbed back onto their feet, the amount of mud covering their bodies giving testament to just how many times they had already been in a similar situation. The onlookers were even more confused when the pair followed up by aggressively pulling out what appeared to be a broomstick and a rock about double the size of a human head from the from the squelching ground.

"How the hell do you do that so easily!?" Naruto shouted in frustration, neither he or Sasuke noticing the rest of their teams arrival, and pointed at the final missing member.

His scarred torso exposed, Jagaa was using his own sword like a fence post to balance inverted with only his left hand on the tail end of the hilt. Though, by its self, that would not have been something to find overly impressive since all Ninja train to have incredible balance, the fact that a very larger rock, at least two thirds the man's own size, was being held in the air by resting on the bottom of his feet made it a little more surprising. What was more was that the blade supporting the load showed no signs of either breaking or even sinking into the soft ground under the impressive weight.

"Hmm, I guess I'm just that bad ass." Jagaa replied with a grin to the irate boy. Twisting his neck so that he could face the new arrivals, an act that looked rather comical considering his positioning, Jagaa used his free right hand to wave at them. "Hey everyone! What took you so long? Okay, well I know what took Cyclops so long, but what took _you_ so long, Princess? I thought you'd be here hours ago!"

A vein appeared on the woman's forehead and she closed her eyes in an effort to restrain herself. "Maybe I would have been if _somebody_ had told me they were going to be at the training grounds with one of my students."

"Oh, Did I forget to mention that?" Jagaa scratched the back of his head in thought, still upside down. "Ah! That's right! I didn't tell you on purpose! Phew, at least it wasn't because I'd forgotten. I might have felt kinda bad about that."

Seven bodies moved simultaneously to get clear in the event the woman attacked.

Fortunately for all in the area, Kurenai managed to control herself by taking long, steady breaths before glaring at the man. "Somehow, I expected that to be the case. However, today, I will not give you the satisfaction of provoking a reaction from me."

"Ah, you're taking all the fun out it for me, Princess." Jagaa smirked at the woman. Then, in a slow, smooth motion, Jagaa began lowering his legs, with the large rock still on his feet until they were at a ninety degree angle in front of him, making it obvious he had been using chakra to keep it in place. The, somehow maintaining his balance the entire time, he curled his stomach and rotated at his shoulder in order to set the rock gently into the mud where he easily straightened his body so that he was standing on top of the object with sword still in hand. "That's okay though." He continued, ignoring the surprised looks he was receiving. "I love a challenge."

"HOW DO YOU _DO_ THAT!?" Naruto screamed.

"Chakra." Hinata's answer had everyone turning to her and allowing them to see that she had activated her Byakugan. "He was applying the principals of practically every chakra control exercise I've ever seen or heard of at one time in order to do it." Hinata shook her head and her Byakugan faded. "That was really quite impressive, Jagaa-san."

"Ah, you're so sweet, Hinata-chan." The man smiled. "It was actually pretty damn hard to learn to use different types of control simultaneously, instead of consecutively the way most Ninja do. Actually, you could probably go your entire Ninja carrier and never once learn how to do what I just did, and you'd still do just fine. The one who taught it to me had originally developed the idea as a meditation technique."

"Then why the hell are you making us do it?" Naruto demanded. "I've almost busted my head open six times with that damn rock!"

"I have to agree with the moron." Sasuke added, brushing some of the dryer mud from his face. "If you yourself say it is not an essential part of being a Shinobi, then our time would be better spent learning a new technique or improving our taijutsu."

"Yeah. Listen to the Teme!" The blonde followed up, pointing at Sasuke.

"Actually," Kakashi cut in. "I'd like to learn that exercise myself." The silver haired Jounin smiled at the incredulous stares he was getting from the two boys. "I'm considered one of the best, but I can say that I've never tried to control my chakra in so many ways at once. Sure, most Ninja can do it somewhat on an unconscious level, like when you are using chakra to stand on water and still using Ninjutsu, but to do what he was doing consciously is something else entirely. It might be only slight against an experienced Ninja, but it could give you the edge you need to win a battle you might have lost otherwise." Kakashi looked back to Jagaa. "From what I could see, you were using the tree climbing principle to keep the rock on your feet, using chakra to augment your muscles in order to hold the weight and maintain your balance, reinforcing your sword with chakra so that it could handle the strain without damage, and applying the water walking technique at its tip so as not to sink into the mud. Did I miss anything?"

"Well, at the end there, I was using a combination of the tree climbing and water walking technique to hold my sword in place so that I could lower the rock. Otherwise I would have just fallen over the moment I shifted my weight."

"Hmm, I see." Kakashi replied with interest, taking mental notes so he could try it later himself.

"Hold up!" Ino suddenly shouted. "Why are you only teaching Sasuke and Naruto? Me and Sakura are on your team too, you know! If this could help us in a fight, you should teach us too!"

"That's right." Sakura added indignantly. "We understand now that we hadn't been serious enough with our training, but we've also been trying to change. So why are you excluding us?"

"Two reasons." Jagaa said. "First, is because I want to improve your physical conditioning. Yes, chakra was holding the rock in place and keeping me out of the mud, but chakra can only enhance your muscles, it can't replace them. That's why you still need to have good physical strength, especially when you're picking rocks up and lowering them down. That's one hell of a stomach work out." Jagaa finished by rapping his knuckles solidly on his abs.

No one noticed Kurenai quickly turn her head away at the action lest she be caught staring. Why did the man who aggravated her so much have to have such a damn good body? It just wasn't right.

"The second," Jagaa continued, oblivious to Kurenai's thoughts, "Is that you don't have a large enough chakra capacity to start yet. I mean, think about it. Remember how quickly you got tired learning tree climbing and water walking." Both girls nodded. "Well now imagine trying to do both at once, as well as supplementing your muscles and reinforcing whatever your balancing on, while being upside down and holding up a large rock with your feet and tell me how long you think you'd last." The two girls thought about what he had just said for several moments before finally, reluctantly, nodding in understanding. "See? There are reasons for what I do. I don't just put you through hellish training because I enjoy it."

"Bullshit!" Naruto yelled from the creek where he and Sasuke were cleaning the mud off themselves.

Jagaa smirked lightly. "Okay, so I _do_ enjoy it, but that doesn't mean there aren't other reasons. I'll tell ya what though. If you seriously want to improve, you're welcome to join us on our morning training and we'll start working on getting you where you need to be. Deal?"

"Deal!" The two girls said unanimously, their faces eager and determined.

Jagaa smiled at the two girls, happy to see that they had fully started on the path to become true Kunoichi. His face then lit up mischievously and his smile became a smirk as he turned to Naruto. "Oh, and speaking of enjoying your suffering, how did things go with Ten-chan when you told her you didn't get the camera back in time?"

Naruto glared at his brother with lethal intensity. "…Painfully. She made me be her sparring partner so she could practice her melee skills as punishment for failing, and I don't even want to _know_ what she was trying to do to me with that bo staff. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I _swear_ I'm gonna get you back for this someday, Nii-san."

"Should you really be threatening the guy with the compromising photos of you?" Jagaa question archly. "After all, if she abused you that much just for not getting the camera, just think what she'll do to you if those pictures, say, got posted up all over the village."

Naruto's face paled and he started trembling violently.

"Glad you understand." Jagaa finished smugly before adding mentally. '_Too bad I promised the old man and Tsuki-nee-chan that I wouldn't actually let those pictures get out…oh well. He doesn't need to know that._'

"…So…exactly who is this girl? Tenten, I believe her name was." Sakura suddenly asked in a strangely firm tone that earned a startled glance from Ino. "And how exactly did you meet her, Naruto?"

"Eh? Oh, you mean Bun-chan." Naruto said with a scratch of his head. "We just kind of ran into each other on the training grounds one day and we ended up in a weapons throwing contest." He decided to omit the part about how badly he lost. "Then it turned out that her family owned the weapons shop that Nii-san and I visited and that Nii-san actually knew her and parents from when he guarded them on their way to Konoha ten years ago. We ended up in another throwing contest while Nii-san was talking with her parents and then, completely on _accident_," he glared at Jagaa while emphasizing 'accident'. "We tripped and ended up in a weird position. That's when Nii-san started taking pictures and why I was beaten up."

"Hmm, I wonder…" Jagaa started in tone that was obviously intended to get the others' attention. "A chance encounter in the training field, me knowing her parents, the positions you end up in…I can't help but think this is all being guided by the hand of fate." Jagaa's tone turned sly as he tilted his head at Naruto. "Maybe you and Ten-chan were destined to be together, Naruto."

If anyone had been watching, they would have noticed the slight twitch that developed in Sakura's eye.

"Shut up, Nii-san!" Naruto growled while blushing furiously. "It's nothing like that! Besides, with how much she tries to kill me, I think she might actually hate me."

"…Yeah, I know how that goes." Jagaa replied with a not so subtle look towards Kurenai who simply huffed in response. "Buuuuut, I have an idea that might help you out." Naruto instantly became attentive and the corners of the man's lips twitched. "Okay, so next time you two are together, instead of having a _throw_ down _with_ her...You should _go_ down _on_ her."

"JAGAA!" Kurenai yelled in shock as her, Ino, and Sakura's faces instantly heated up. Behind them, Kiba looked like he was about to have a nose bleed while Hinata and Sasuke just shook their heads.

Naruto, on the other hand, looked thoroughly confused. "What does that mean? Why would I go down on Bun-chan?"

Jagaa's body was twitching slightly but his face remained neutral. "You don't know about that? Girls love it when you go down on them. Just ask Sakura."

Still confused, the sunny blonde turned to the pink haired girl. "Is that true, Sakura-chan? Would you want me to go down on you?"

"Uh…ah…" Sakura's face became so red that it was a wonder she didn't pass out as she floundered for some kind of answer. Inner Sakura didn't seem to have a problem with it though and was making it known. '**Hell Yeah! Do it to me right, Baby!**'

"Naruto!" Kurenai shouted in an attempt to get some kind of control over the situation while casting a scathing look over at Jagaa who was covering his mouth with one hand and holding his stomach with the other in his attempts not to laugh. "You can't go down on Sakura! She's too young!"

Naruto scratched his head. "So…" He began questioningly. "Should I go down on someone older like you then, Kurenai-sensei?"

Kurenai's mouth fell open in shock as her own face mirrored Sakura's in redness. "NO!"

Jagaa had to brace his shoulder against a tree in order to keep from falling over as he continued his struggle to avoid laughing out loud.

Ino was becoming completely embarrassed by the turn of the conversation and the gutter it was starting to send her own mind into. A gutter involving her and Sasuke in the middle of the woods as he…Gaah! Violently shaking her head she pointed at Naruto. "You can't go down on _anyone_ you Moron!" She screamed in an attempt to get hold of herself.

Even though he still wasn't sure what was going on, Naruto's personality would not let him receive an insult unchallenged and he instantly became defiant. "Hey! I can go down on anyone I want to! I'll even go down on _you_!"

"W-WHAT!" Ino's face followed suite of Kurenai's and Sakura's and she was forced to cover her nose when suddenly there was a third party in her fantasy. And it was frighteningly _hot_.

Jagaa's knees almost gave way and he only barely managed to keep himself up. Taking several quick breaths through his nostrils to in an attempt to force himself to calm down just long enough, Jagaa looked back over his shoulder. "Oh yeah? I bet you don't have the guts to tell Ten-chan you want to go down on her!"

Naruto spun and pointed defiantly at Jagaa, completely overlooking the man's strange posture. "Hah! Just you watch!" He declared confidently. "I'm not afraid to tell any girl I want to go down on them! Cause I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage, dattebayo!" With that, the boy shot off in order to find a certain bun-haired girl and prove his words to his brother.

Within three seconds of the boy's disappearance, Jagaa's control broke and the training area was filled with his hysterical laughter as he fell to his knees and started beating the ground with his right fist while his left hand clutched his stomach, tears of mirth sneaking their way from beneath his dark shades.

"You know. You really are a horrible, horrible person." Kakashi commented, lowering his book just enough to look at the other man.

Jagaa's response was to laugh even harder.

"That…was…fucking _awesome_!" Kiba suddenly shouted as he to fell into laughter.

Sakura was still blushing furiously but managed to glare at her male sensei. "How could you do that, Jagaa-sensei! You actually got him to ask me if he could…" Sakura trailed off, not able to bring herself to say while at the same time trying to control Inner Sakura who was shouting out in disappointment. '**Why didn't you accept? Shannarro!**'

"I can't _believe_ you!" Kurenai shouted at the man who showed no signs of calming down. "These are _children_! Have you no shame what so ever!?"

"D-do I…ha-have…to…to an…swer?" Jagaa gasped out through his laughter.

No longer able to control herself, Kurenai let out a frustrated scream and dove on the man who yelped in surprise.

"Get him, Kurenai-sensei!" Ino and Sakura cheered as the woman tried to strangle the man.

"…I believe the worst part is that I've more or less grown accustomed to this." Hinata commentated dryly as she watched the murder attempt.

"Indeed." Kakashi agreed. A shadow passed overhead and the silver haired Jounin looked up to see a messenger hawk circling above them. '_Hmm, so it's that time already._'

"Hey! What's up with that bird?" Kiba asked, catching the attention of Kurenai who was still strangling the now blue-faced Jagaa from behind.

"Ah, that's a summons bird." She said, letting go of Jagaa's neck who flopped onto the ground gasping for breath. "The Hokage is calling all the Jounin and Chuunin." Hurriedly she got off the man's back and started dusting herself off.

Hinata walked over and kneeled down next to the panting man. "You realize you bring this upon yourself, Jagaa-san."

"I regret nothing." Jagaa wheezed out.

"Well, as amusing as this has been, we really should get going." Kakashi said to the other two Jounin over the top of his book. "We'll probably already be some of the last ones as it is."

"As difficult as it is for me to believe you might actually be concerned with being somewhere on time, you may be right." Kurenai conceded. She then threw a glare at her partner who had finally recovered enough to start picking himself up from the ground. "Let's go, Jagaa."

"Ehhhh, nah. I really don't feel like dealing with that Geezer right now." Jagaa replied easily as he dusted himself off, causing a vein to appear on the woman's forehead. "So, how about instead you both go without me and I'll go find a bar-YEOWCH!" He cried out in pain when his right ear was instantly being crushed in Kurenai's vice like grip.

"_You_, do _not_ get a say in this!" She snarled while giving a quick shake of her hand and earning another pained yelp. "You've already caused enough problems today! I won't have you embarrass me on top of that by ignoring a summons from the Hokage! Now let's go!" Without loosening her grip in the slightest, she began marching in the direction of the Hokage tower.

"Ow, ow, OW, damn it! What is it with you and ears!?" Jagaa cried out as he was forced to follow in order not to have his ear forcefully removed. "All right I'll come! I'll make you come! I don't care who comes! Just LET GO OF MY EAR!"

"…He really doesn't learn, does he?" Hinata commented blandly.

The remaining Genin were inclined to agree.

X X X X X

Naruto tore through the village towards the Kazeyama weapons shop at speeds that could put some Chuunin to shame as he focused on his singular goal of proving his older brother wrong.

Now, to be fair, if he had given himself more time to think things through, there was a high probability Naruto would have remembered the type of person his brother was and realized that he was, once again, being tricked by the man. Unfortunately, Naruto was still too caught up in his pride and, as luck or misfortune would have it; he caught sight of a very distinct hairstyle out of the corner of his eye while passing through the shopping district. Skidding to a halt, the boy zeroed in on the sight to confirm without a doubt that it was the girl he was seeking. "Bun-chan!" He called out as he quickly wove his way through the other shoppers.

"Naruto?" Tenten said in mild surprise as the boy arrived. "What are you doing here, Chibi?" In response, Naruto looked her dead in the eye with an intensity that not only surprised her, but also made her a bit nervous.

"Let me go down on you!"

It would be several minutes before Tenten's mind would break free of the shock that Naruto's rather loud question had put her in. But even people on the other side of the village would know the moment she did thanks to the screams of terror Naruto would release as he was attacked.

X X X X X

It hadn't taken too long for all the Konoha Shinobi of Chuunin rank or higher to respond to the Hokage's summons and arrive at the meeting hall, as was expected of a professional Ninja. However, there was one group that managed to take professionalism and murder, hack up, burn, and then bury the remains of anything even remotely resembling it- Which was why the Sandaime Hokage was currently sitting behind his desk and rubbing his temples in a slow clockwise motion.

"It really huuuurt, Anko-chan." Jagaa whined to the plum haired woman that was currently cradling his head to her rather impressive chest in a soothing manner. "The mean Princess almost took my ear off." Jagaa raised his head just enough to stick his tongue out at the glowering Kurenai.

"There, there, Jagaa-chan!" Anko comforted as she stroked his hair. "Don't worry. Anko-chan will kiss it all better for you."

"I don't really think kissing my ear is going to make it feel better." Jagaa said with a pout.

Anko smirked. "Who said anything about your ear?"

"…I retract my previous statement."

"Would it be too late to have someone pull on my ear?" Kakashi asked, casting a slightly envious glance at Jagaa, an expression that was mirrored to less or greater extent by every other male, and a few females, in the room.

"Sooorry, Kakashi-chan." Anko chirped, pulling Jagaa's face further into her breasts. "But I'm a first come first serve kinda girl."

"Mmph fmm mufu mmphy mmmph mm mfum fumm." Jagaa tried to say through the mounds of flesh.

"Well, that's true." Anko admitted. "But not all men can get me to come first."

"How could you understand what he said?" Asuma asked curiously despite himself.

"I've had a lot of practice." Anko said with a lecherous grin that made several men have to hide their faces as their imaginations went into overdrive.

Jagaa finally managed to push himself out of the pleasurable death trap with a huge intake of breath. "What is with women trying to asphyxiate me today?" He complained before tapping on Anko's right breast. "You should seriously consider getting these things registered as lethal weapons, Anko-chan."

"I'll keep that in mind on my next assassination mission." Anko smirked.

"Would the two of you stop behaving like dogs in heat?" Kurenai growled, ignoring the indignant protests from some of the Inuzuka in the room. "We are in the presence of the Hokage!"

Anko gave the woman a mischievous glance and smirked. "Ah, poor little Nai-chan is jealous?"

"I am _not_ jealous!" Kurenai grated out.

"Enough!" The Hokage bellowed, sending the room into immediate silence. "We have important business to discuss."

"What's up?" Jagaa asked. "Did someone steal your dentures or something?"

"Jagaa..." The Sandaime said warningly.

"Fine, fine." Jagaa conceded with a placating raise of his hands. "I'll be good…for now."

The old man nodded his approval, grateful with what he could get, and then passed his gaze among the other assembled Ninja. "As you all know, Konoha will be hosting this year's Chuunin exams. As such, foreign Ninja have already begun arriving. I'd like to remind you that you are to treat all foreign Ninja with respect and courtesy, but still retain caution." The gathered Ninja all nodded their understanding and the Hokage continued. "That being said, it is time for Konoha to choose its own representatives. So to start out, are there any nominations among the rookie teams?" The old man turned his attention to the four Jounin in charge of Konoha's newest Genin.

Almost instantly Kakashi snapped his book shut and came to a formal stance. "I, Hatake Kakashi, hereby nominate Team 8 for the Chuunin exams." A stir of surprise went through the room at the declaration since almost no one actually expected a rookie team to be nominated. The Hokage however, after listening to all the reports on the team and their overall experience, had been expecting it and simply nodded his understanding before turning to Asuma to continue.

Asuma took a formal stance as well. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, hereby nominate Team 10 for the Chuunin exams." This time even the elderly Hokage was as surprised as the rest of the room. He knew what his son's idea of training his team was, and he wasn't so sure that the three Genin under the younger Sarutobi's care were actually as ready as Asuma seemed to think. Then again, the Hokage did have to take into account just who was on his son's team. It was entirely possible that they really were ready. Deciding to trust his son's judgment, at least in this matter, the Sandaime once again nodded his understanding before turning to Jagaa and Kurenai. "And what of Team 7?"

The two Sensei in question gave each other a sidelong glance, but Jagaa was the first one to speak. "I don't know. I don't think it's really such a good idea. I mean, Sakura and Ino only recently started taking their training seriously and Sasuke, though admittedly better than before, is still an ass." Several people let an amused snort slip but no one really paid them any mind. "And as far as I know, being a Chuunin means you start getting leadership roles, and none of them are ready for that."

Kurenai chewed on her bottom lip for a moment in thought before letting out a sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, you're probably right." As surprised as the rest of the room was at the admission, none of them were showing as much surprise as Jagaa. "However," The scarred man's face became visibly relieved. "I feel that they are ready to at least attempt it. Chances are lower than I'd like that they'll pass, but the experience could be good for them and help them to grow." Kurenai looked from Jagaa to the Hokage. "I would like to nominate them."

Another round of murmuring echoed through the room as people discussed both sides of the issue, some favoring Kurenai's opinion while others agreed with Jagaa.

Behind his desk, the Hokage passed his analyzing gaze between both Sensei of Team 7 before settling on Jagaa. "Since there are two people in charge of your team, I can only allow their participation if both sides agree to nominate them. So, I'll ask you again, Jagaa. Do you feel Team 7 is ready for the Chuunin exam?"

"Hmm…" Jagaa adopted a serious thinking pose. "Well…I suppose I might be willing to agree. However, I _do_ have a condition." The Hokage nodded and Jagaa's voice became more firm. "The condition is…that Kurenai," Jagaa pointed to the woman dramatically. "Has to flap her arms and cluck like a chicken."

The entire room fell into a dead silence at the man's sudden request and Kurenai's expression went flat, along with her voice. "What?"

"You will cluck. You will cluck."Jagaa chanted, waving his arms toward the woman in a mystical fashion.

A small but noticeable twitch developed in the Jounin woman's left eye. "Jagaa-san," She said in overly sweet voice. "Could it be that you _knew_ I would want to allow our team to participate in the exam and only disagreed…for the sake of setting me up for a joke?"

A lesser man probably would have crapped himself if that tone had been directed at him. However, when it came to suicidal actions, Jagaa was _no_ lesser man. "Well," He said with an innocent expression. "There is a strong_ possibility _that I might have _considered_ the idea of doing something _similar_ to the previously mentioned event…possibly."

Kurenai attacked with an animalistic snarl, slamming into the man and taking him bodily to the floor. But just before she could start beating him into a bloody, gooey mess that would forever stain the floor of Hokage tower, Kurenai realized that her intended victim had wrapped their arms around her torso and was rubbing their face into her breasts.

"Ah, Nai-chan, I knew you loved me!" Anko's distinct voice reached her in a muffled tone.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she realized what was going on. "Anko? Why are you here? And STOP THAT!" She tried to pry the other woman off of her, but Anko hung on like a starving leech. "JAGAA! How dare you replace yourself with Anko!" Kurenai yelled out to her partner.

"Well, actually," Jagaa's voice came from her left and she turned twisted her face around to see him standing behind the Hokage's wooden desk. "I switched myself with the Geezer." He finished, pointing into the group of Ninja that Hokage was now standing at the forefront of.

"Indeed." The Sandaime said with a hint of annoyance. "However, I had no desire to be used, yet again, as your replacement. So I switched with Kakashi." The old man pointed to his right to the copy Ninja.

From behind his reading material, Kakashi glanced around the room at the questioning gazes and shrugged. "I had to protect my book, since Kurenai would probably have tried to destroy out of spite, so I just barely managed to switch with Anko." He finished by pointing at the two women who were still on the floor.

"And I wanted to hug Nai-chan, so I didn't try to switch with anybody." Anko declared happily and tightened her grip on Kurenai while simultaneously increasing the power of her head to breast rub.

"STOP THAT!" Kurenai shouted, still trying to escape the other woman's clutches. "And how could all of you manage to perform a Kawarimi with so little time?"

"Well, I knew it was coming." Jagaa confessed. "So I was ready to run away before you ever attacked."

"I had suspected that something like this would happen." The Hokage continued as he resumed his place behind his desk. "And seeing as Jagaa has a history of replacing himself with me," The old man gave the scarred one a quick glare. "I was prepared to take counter measures." After the Hokage's explanation, all eyes turned to Kakashi in anticipation.

"…I value my book more than my own life." He said simply.

Needless to say, many people started questioning if Kakashi still had his sanity.

"That's funny." Anko lifted her head just high enough out Kurenai's breasts to be heard clearly. "I seem to remember a time when you threw it out a window."

Kakashi's visible eye instantly widened and then began tearing up as he pulled his book into his chest and stroked it lovingly. "I'm so sorry, baby. I swear I'll never abandon you again. Never. Never. Never."

And now they were certain he'd lost it.

"Oh she's good." Jagaa complimented with a grin. Anko responded with a smile and wink before promptly burying her face in Kurenai's chest again.

"I said STOP THAT!"

"If you are all finished playing around," The Sandaime said in an impatient tone. "I would like to finish this meeting so can all go about our day." The old man's tone served to finally get Anko to let go of Kurenai, to which the red eyed woman was extremely grateful, and restore order to assembly. "Now, Jagaa, is it fair for me to assume that are willing to support the nomination to allow Team 7 to participate in the Chuunin exam?"

"Yeah, I suppose it could be a good experience for them." Jagaa agreed with a shrug. "Besides, it's only an exam. It's not like they'll be in any real danger or anything." The room suddenly went quiet, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jagaa who gazed around the room questioningly. "What?"

"…Have you never participated in a Chuunin exam, Jagaa?" Asuma asked. "Or even seen one?"

"Uh, No." Jagaa replied suspiciously. "Have you forgotten that I never even held an official Ninja rank before coming here? The Chuunin exams were just something I heard about in passing now and then. I never had a need worry about them."

"I guess that's true." Asuma conceded. "Well, I guess you should be told then that the Chuunin exam is actually pretty dangerous. In fact, I honestly can't think of an exam where a sizable number of examinees _haven't_ died."

Jagaa's jaw dropped just a little out of surprise and he turned to the Hokage. "Is that true?" The Hokage examined the young man for a bit before nodding his confirmation. This time Jagaa's eyebrows rose up over his glasses and he looked around the room only to receive more nods from his associates. Jagaa stared at the other Jounin Sensei for some time before spinning around to face the Hokage, raising his right hand into the air and pointing at himself with his left.

"I want it on the record that _I_ was the one who said they weren't ready! Me! This guy! Right here!"

X X X X X

"Ouch, damned, Bun-chan. She didn't have to freak out like that." Naruto grumbled as he walked through the lush forest of Konoha. "That damned Nii-san. He lied to me. There's no _way_ girls actually like guys going down on them if it makes them attack like that. I swear I'm gonna get him back for this." Naruto rubbed his shoulder and winced. He had only barely managed to escape through the crowds, but not before the girl had managed to get in a few good hits, and even then she had chased him for some time before he managed to completely lose her. But as much as he wanted to get his older brother back for yet another one of his pranks, Naruto knew he was going to need some help, and he knew just the Inuzuka to help him.

It wouldn't be hard to find him. Naruto knew where all Kiba and Akamaru's favorite training/play areas were, so it was just a matter of guess and check. Fortunately, it seemed luck was on his side, for once, as he could already hear the distant shouts of the duo and he picked up his pace a bit. But as he drew closer, Naruto was stopped by the sight of another of his teammates acting in a _very_ unusual way.

Standing behind a large tree, her face and upper body only barely leaning over enough for her to see around it, Hinata was gazing off into the distance with a look of longing that Naruto would never have believed possible. If he didn't know any better, he'd even say she was acting…shy. But that just wasn't possible, was it? Creeping silently up behind her- the fact he even managed to only proving how engrossed she was with whatever she was looking at- Naruto peered over her shoulder in an attempt to share her field of vision.

"Dynamic Marking!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru bounded through the trees about a hundred meters away. The puppy let out a bark of obedience which was quickly followed by a golden yellow stream from his nether regions that splashed on tree limbs and trunks.

Naruto's first thought was to make a mental note to run for cover whenever he heard that command from now on. The second thought to cross his mind, was the question as to why Hinata was back here spying on them instead of just openly watching their training. Then again, he'd already confirmed the need for defensive cover during their sessions, so maybe that was the reason. He was just about to go ahead and ask her what she was doing, when the girl let out a blissful sigh.

"He's so cute when he's playing with Akamaru."

"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Hinata let out a startled cry and shoved away from the tree, simultaneously knocking hard into the blonde behind her and sending both of them sprawling to the ground. Naruto winced as he rubbed his sore backside from the heavy landing and glanced over at Hinata, who was on her hands and knees looking at him in what almost looked like horror. "N-N-N-Naruto." She sputtered, still trying to recover from her surprise. "W-What are you doing here?"

"That should be my question." Naruto said, still rubbing his back. "Why were you spying on Kiba like that instead of just going over and watching him? We're teammates after all. I don't think he'd care."

Hinata's expression became trapped and she nervously fidgeted. "I…uh…well…you see…" She floundered as she tried to come up with some sort of explanation.

Naruto was starting to get weirded out. First he finds her hiding behind a tree and spying on her own teammate. Then, the normally calm and composed Hinata is sent into a nervous inability to speak at being caught. And what was with that blush? Seriously, she was acting almost like some of the stalker fangirls he'd had to…

Now if there was one thing anyone who knew him would attest to, it was that Uzumaki Naruto could, without doubt, be one of the densest people in the world sometimes and tended to have no ability to read a situation. As was already proven by the constant manipulation -which most people would never fall for- by his older brother. However, they would also testify that there were times, though not many that could easily be remembered, that the sunny blonde would be struck with instant clarity on the situation and know exactly what was happening. Unfortunately for all parties involved, this happened to be one of those times.

"Oh, my _god_!" He shouted and pointed accusingly at the young Hyuuga girl. "You have a crush on-mmph!" The next thing Naruto knew, Hinata's left hand had smacked over his mouth and he was violently shoved into a tree behind him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Hinata said in a low tone, the upper half of her face shadowed by her hair as she pulled back her now glowing right hand. The Hyuuga girl raised her face to show her eyes, and Naruto almost wet himself at the crazed glint behind them. "But you have to die!"

The boy frantically waved his hands in a frightened plea, but Hinata had already begun her attack. However, as soon as the strike landed, Naruto burst into smoke and Hinata found herself trying to Juuken a log. A low growl escaping her throat, Hinata turned around with Byakugan pulsing to where Naruto was nervously backing away. "Don't run, Naruto." Hinata said in a frighteningly unstable voice. "It will be more painful if you run."

Naruto was officially scared shitless. "H-hey…c-come on now. C-can't we talk about this?" The blonde pleaded in a desperate attempt at self preservation. "Okay, I get it! You don't want anyone to know, right? Well then, how about I promise you that I'll _never_ tell a soul about what I saw! You know I never go back on my word, right?"

Hinata paused in her deadly approach and appeared to be seriously considering the proposition. For a brief moment, Naruto started to believe that he just may be in the clear, when Hinata shook her head fiercely and glared at him. "I can't take the chance!" She cried out as she sprung at the blonde, who let out a very feminine scream of terror.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kiba's voice suddenly reached them, making both Hinata and Naruto freeze in place as the Inuzuka and his partner came leaping out of the trees to land by the pair. "It sounded like you two were fighting or something."

"K…Kiba…" Hinata started, completely unsure of how to explain.

Naruto instantly lit up in relief at the sight of his friend. "Yes! Witness-I mean Kiba!" Naruto dashed over to the confused Inuzuka and threw his arm around the boy's shoulder. "Boy am I glad you're here. Really, really, _really_ glad."

Kiba gave the blonde currently hanging on him a suspicious look. "Okay, what do you want, Naruto?"

"Why, nothing more than your _ever present_ company, of course." Naruto said with aplomb, taking a glance at Hinata who was doing her best to hide both her anger and embarrassment at the current situation. As he looked at her, Naruto was struck with a brilliant, if not possibly fatal, idea. "Buuuut, Hinata and I were looking for you. I was thinking of going out for ramen since our sensei isn't here. You know, like a casual team lunch. What do you think? Hinata liked the idea." Naruto grinned at the female member of their team, who in return narrowed her eyes dangerously as she tried to figure out what he was planning.

"Hmm, eh, why not?" Kiba said with a shrug. "It's been a while since I had ramen anyway."

"Great!" Naruto said with an enthusiasm that was only partially feigned, grabbing both his teammate's arms and dragging them off. "Onward to Ichiraku's!"

X X X X X

'_Slowly. Carefully. Keep the chakra output to the lowest possible level you can achieve and gently lace it in. A little more…A little more…_'

"Kai." Jagaa said in a half bored, half exasperated tone.

"Damn it!" Kurenai let out in frustration.

Jagaa rubbed his temples and sighed. "Seriously, Princess, could you give it a rest with the Genjutsu? That makes twenty three times you've tried to put me under one, and now I've got a headache."

"Not until you tell me how you keep breaking it before I even put it in place!" The woman declared hotly. "There's no way you're immune to them! So spill it!"

If his head wasn't hurting so badly at the moment, Jagaa would have found her childish indignation at the thwarting of her favorite combat style amusing, possibly even cute, but as it stood, he just _really_ wanted her to stop. "I have a high ability at sensing chakra, okay." He admitted testily, deciding just telling her would be the best way to end it all. "Because of that, I've learned how to tell when people are trying to put their chakra into my head for a genjutsu. It also helps when the person trying to do it is standing _three fucking feet away_!"

Kurenai narrowed her eyes at his tone. "Then I'll just have to figure out how to perform a genjutsu that even you can't detect."

"Oh yeah." Jagaa retorted with a cocky smirk. "I'll just have Haku come and lock in a dome of ice again. You didn't seem to do so well with Genjutsu then."

"I COULD HAVE WON!" Kurenai shouted in defense. "I was just caught off guard!"

"Yeah, but you didn't win, did ya? And who had to save your ass?" Jagaa's face lit up in false realization. "Oh yeah… _Me_!"

"Are you trying to imply something?" The woman growled.

"So what if I am?" The man replied in just as hard a tone.

About ten meters behind the feuding pair, Anko tossed a small handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Do you think they even realize we're still here?" She voice to her two companions as she offered the bag to her right.

Asuma looked over the two of them as he helped himself to the plum haired woman's snack. "Nope. And I don't intend to remind them. Wouldn't want to get dragged into it."

"Especially seeing as one of them is your old girlfriend." Kakashi commented from behind his book before glancing at the other man curiously. "Does it ever make you jealous at all, seeing them together like that? There's a high chance something might come out of this you know."

"Nah, me and Kurenai knew we weren't right for each other and we parted on good terms. I think it'd actually be kinda impressive if something happened between them." Asuma shrugged as he took a drag on his cigarette and turned to Anko. "What about you though? I thought you had a thing for Jagaa? Would you be upset if somehow the two of them got together?"

"Of course not." Anko said easily. "Jagaa-chan and I like to play, but neither of us has ever considered each other a potential lifelong partner. We're both to set in our frolicking ways to ever tie each other down. That's why I'm a regular viewer of the Jagaa/Nai-chan show. Cause if anyone could actually catch him, it would be her." She finished by tossing another kernel into her mouth before suddenly grinning lecherously. "Besides, if they somehow do end up together and start screwing like rabbits, there's a chance they'll let me join." The woman licked her lips hungrily at the thought and wiped a small amount of drool from the corner of her mouth.

Kakashi and Asuma exchanged a glance that said it all before Kakashi turned back to his book. "You may have a while to wait for that fantasy. Judging by the way they're carrying on up there."

"That's okay. I'm patient." Anko shrugged and popped another hand full of popcorn into her mouth. "Besides, they're interesting the way they are…for now."

"What did you just say!?"

"You fuckin' heard me!"

Anko grinned widely. "_Very _interesting."

X X X X X

He could feel it. Like a knife pressed into the back of his neck. Naruto could feel Hinata's murderous gaze focused solely on him. However, this wasn't just because he knew of her secret crush. Oh no. Naruto had managed to throw fuel on that fire and bring it to new intensities. For you see, as fate would have it, upon arriving at Ichiraku's Naruto quickly noticed that there were only three seats available for the new arrivals, two on one end, and a single one at the other. This had been far better than Naruto could have hoped for and he instantly took the lone seat on the far left, which in turn forced Kiba and Hinata, the latter instantly picking up on the blonde's objective by his quick choice of seating, to sit alone together on the far right.

Hence the reason the Hyuuga girl was currently trying to murder the blonde where he sat with the intensity of her glare and why he was caught in a furious struggle of neither laughing at his success, nor pissing himself in fear.

"Ah, Naruto." Ayame suddenly called, pulling the boy out of his thoughts. "This seat is open now, so you can come sit with your teammates."

Naruto followed her pointing finger to find, to his horror, that the seat next to Hinata was indeed open. Even worse, the distinctively evil gleam coming from the girls pupil-less eyes said, in no uncertain terms, that going over there now would be nothing less than an act of suicide. Gulping, Naruto turned to Ayame and smiled nervously. "Uh, that's okay. I, uh, I'm comfortable here already."

"Now, now. That won't do at all, Naruto." Hinata said in far too sweet a voice. "This is a team lunch, remember? So you need to sit with your team. It's only natural, after all." Hinata finished a radiant smile, and Naruto nearly did piss himself.

'_I'm dead! She's really gonna kill me!_' The boy cried to himself, knowing his fate was sealed even as he slowly got up from his stool. '_I wonder if she'll at least let me have one last bowl of Ramen? Will it be painful? I've never been hit with a Juuken before. Maybe it will be a quick death…Dear Kami, please let it be a quick death._' Still moving at an impossibly slow pace, Naruto finally made it to the vacant stool and just as slowly set himself down and prepared for his fate.

"Dude, what's the matter with you?" Kiba asked as he watched his best friend's strange behavior. "You act like we're planning to kill you or something."

"…Or something." Naruto mumbled, still feeling Hinata's eyes on him but grasping at the small hope that she would wait to kill him until there were no witnesses. It was quite the welcome relief, even more than usual which was saying something, when Ayame put a steaming bowl of noodles in front of him. Allowing him a time in which he could forget about his impending doom and focus on the greatness that was ramen instead. The first bite was like heaven to the blonde and he licked his lips noisily as he grinned at the brunette waitress. "Ah, your ramen is as good as ever, Ayame-nee-chan."

"Glad to hear it, Naruto-kun." The teen girl smiled at him. "Especially since you were away for so long that I was starting to wonder if you didn't like us anymore."

"WHAT! NEVER!" The boy shouted, aghast at the very idea. "How could you even _think_ that, Ayame-nee-chan!?"

"I was just kidding, Naruto-kun." The girl laughed. "I know you wouldn't abandon us. Now enjoy your meal while I prepare some more…Just in case." Ayame winked conspiratorially at him and then disappeared behind the curtain leading to the back.

"Haaa, that scared me for a minute." The whiskered boy said with a loud exhale of breath as he clutched his chest. "To even suggest that I didn't like Ichiraku's anymore. It's too much I tell you…Seems like a lot of scary things are happening today." The sunny-blonde cast an accusing glance at Hinata who smirked lightly in response.

"What is that supposed to mean?" The Inuzuka asked.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Naruto waved dismissively. The blonde acted as if he were going back to eating his ramen, watching Hinata out of the corner of his eye. It was time to make her sweat a little as payback for earlier. Waiting until the Hyuuga girl had taken in a mouth full of noodles, Naruto spoke out. "By the way, Kiba, are there any girls you like?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she sputtered as she found herself choking on ramen broth. Coughing heavily as she tried to clear her air passage, the girl glared murderously at the blonde who smirked back defiantly.

"Eh? Well, not really." Kiba shrugged.

Naruto nodded sagely. "Too hung up on your sister to notice other girls, huh?"

"Will you shut it?!" Kiba snapped. "I don't have a thing for my sister! It's just that there hasn't been a girl that's really caught my attention yet! They're all either fangirls, or just lousy Ninja! Either way, I'm not interested!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I'll lay off the sister jokes." Naruto said as he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "So, you don't like fangirls, not that I can blame you, or girls who are lousy Ninja." Naruto grinned and made and extravagant gesture. "Well, Dog breath, this is your lucky day. Cause I happen to know of a girl who isn't a fangirl or a lousy Ninja."

Kiba perked curiously. "Really? Who?"

"Well, it happens to be a girl you already kn-YEOWCH!" Naruto grabbed his throbbing shin that had just received the force of a certain Hyuuga girl's heal.

"Dude, what happened?" Kiba asked the other boy who was rocking back and forth on his stool, massaging the stricken area.

"It seems he hit his shin under the counter." Hinata said in a falsely sympathetic voice. "You should really be more careful, Naruto. We wouldn't want any _accidents_ to happen to you."

"I'm _so_ happy that you care so much for my well being." Naruto glared back. A stream of static raged between the two as they locked eyes.

"Well, whatever. Now, tell me who the girl is you were talking about." Kiba said, not even noticing the tension between his two teammates due to his curiosity.

"What girl?" Ino's voice suddenly came from behind them.

The members of Team 8 turned around to see the members of Team 7 walking up to the ramen stand, and looking at the three of them curiously.

"Oh, hey Ino, Sakura," Naruto paused as he sized up the third arrival. "…Teme."

"Moron." The Uchiha replied coolly.

"Okay, children, no fighting." Ino said quickly, stepping in between the two. Even if the two of them didn't seem to resort to blows just from being five feet from each other lately, there was always the chance that they could regress. And with their growing skills, that _might_ not be good for nearby structures.

"Ah, don't worry, Ino. I'm not in the mood to kick Teme's ass right now." Naruto grinned. Sasuke was about to snap on the blonde, but he caught sight of Sakura glaring at him and decided to keep quiet…for several reasons.

Sasuke wasn't the only one who saw the glare. Ino and Hinata had caught sight of it as well and had even exchanged a glance over the action. It was difficult to believe that not long ago she would have been defending Sasuke and instead berating, if not attacking, Naruto for insulting him. It would seem that the incident in the wave had affected the girl more than probably even she realized.

"So, what're you all doing here?" Naruto asked the three new arrivals.

"Oh, nothing much, just waiting on our two sensei to get back." Ino replied, taking the empty seat next to Naruto much to Sakura's hidden displeasure. "More importantly, who is this girl you were talking about?" Ino's eyes lit up with the curiosity of a true gossiper, and Naruto suddenly felt the need to run.

"Oh, we don't know yet." Hinata quickly answered. "Perhaps he was going to tell us about what happened with that Tenten girl."

"Huh?" Kiba started, looking to his female teammate. "I thought he was-"

"Really? Great!" Ino said eagerly. "I was wondering what happened after you ran off to tell her…" The blonde girl blushed lightly. "Well, you know."

Naruto cast a quick glare at the Hyuuga girl who smirked in response, both knowing that if he tried to change the subject back that it would look like he was trying to avoid the question and only encourage the gossiping blonde. Naruto would have to concede this round to Hinata, but the next round would be his. He wasn't quite sure when it had actually _become_ a battle but…whatever. Turning back to the other blonde of the group, Naruto made a sour face. "It was terrible. I think I've taken more beatings from Bun-chan in the last two days than most Ninja get in their entire lives. I can't believe I fell for another one of Nii-san's tricks. There's no _way_ a girl likes a guy going down on her if _that's_ how they react."

'**Bullshit! I love it! I want it!**' Inner Sakura shouted, pumping her fist into the air. '**Now get your cute ass over here and shove your whiskered face in my-**'

"Shut _up_!" Sakura hissed to her inner self, a deep blush forcing its way to her features. For Kami's sake, had her inner voice always been this bad?

The rest of the group decided to just keep their thoughts on the boy's conclusion to themselves and either looked away or quickly took a bite of ramen.

Ino fidgeted a bit in the uncomfortable silence. "So, uh…what does this girl look like?" She finally asked to change the flow of the conversation.

"Hmm…well…" Naruto adopted a thinking pose, rubbing his chin as he tried to remember some specifics. "She's got brown hair that she likes to wear up in these two little buns on the top of her head. Kinda makes her look like a panda."

"…That can't be all you remember." Ino said in a dead pan tone. "How tall is she? What kind of cloths does she like to wear? What color are her eyes? I need specifics!"

"Okay, okay, chill." Naruto said defensively. Man, girls could get scary when they wanted to know something. "Umm, well she's a bit taller than me…but not _that_ much taller." A hint of annoyance entered the boy's voice as he remembered the girl's favorite nickname for him. "And she usually wears a pink, Chinese style shirt and loose green pants that go to her shins. Her eyes…uh…"

Naruto paused as his mind flashed back and he once again found himself in that moment in her back yard. The way her strands of her hair had come loose to gently frame her face, which was lightly flushed from exertion, and her eyes…"Her eyes…are brown, like rich chocolate, and if you look into them long enough…it feels like they're pulling you in." Naruto wasn't fully aware of what he had said, or how his voice had lowered as he said it, or the way his expression had become distant. However, he _did_ feel the looks his friends were giving him and he was brought back to reality. "What?" He asked, looking around.

"Uh, dude, you, uh…kinda got pretty…in depth…when you were talking about her eyes." Kiba finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Really? I don't really remember what I said." The boy admitted with a nervous scratch of his head. "I just started thinking about that time the two of us accidentally fell on each other. You know. The one Nii-san took the picture of. I got a really good look at her eyes then."

"Ah, I see…" Ino said, taking a glance over at Sakura who was looking a bit depressed. Not that she could blame her, since her new crush seemed to already have eyes for someone else, even if he didn't realize it yet. It almost wasn't fair how much difficulty the pink haired girl seemed to be having in the romance department. Desperate for some way to change the topic, Ino wracked her brain until she was suddenly hit with inspiration. "Oh, speaking of eyes, Naruto." Ino gave the male blonde an intense look. "What color are Jagaa-sensei's eyes? I've always kinda wondered about it, but I've never once seen him take off his sunglasses."

Kiba also perked. "You know, now that I think about it, that's true, isn't it? I've been friends with Naruto for a while now, and been to his apartment a crap load of times, but I've never seen Jagaa without his glasses either." The Inuzuka looked over to his blonde friend. "So, spill it. What color _are_ his eyes?"

"No idea." The whiskered boy said with a casual shrug as he took in a large amount of noodles.

Every one of his fellow Genin stared at the blonde as if he had grown a second head. "How could you not know!?" Ino shouted accusingly. "Haven't you trained…Haven't you _lived_ with him for years!?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "But it's like you all said. Nii-san _never_ takes off his sunglasses…well, I guess he does when he goes to sleep, but he always turns his face into his pillow whenever I go in to wake him up. So I've never seen his eyes either."

"Are you serious?" Kiba asked. "Didn't you ever try to catch him off guard or something?"

"Well, duh." The whiskered blonde responded as if offended by the question. "I probably spent the first six months traveling with him trying to see his eyes…but failed miserably." The boy looked less than pleased with himself at the admission. "So finally, I think I just got used to not knowing and my curiosity kinda died away."

"Tch, damn, that sucks." Kiba grunted. "Especially since now _I'm_ curious." The Inuzuka's face lit up with a grin. "Maybe he hides them because he has really beady eyes."

"Pfft, no way." Ino said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Have you seen the rest of him? I bet he's got those really serious, manly eyes that make women weak in the knees when he looks at them."

"Nah, he wouldn't hide them if that was the case." Naruto countered. "He probably just thinks the sunglasses make him look 'Hot' or something."

"Hmm…Can't say he'd be wrong then." Ino grinned. Naruto smacked himself in the forehead in response.

"I think you are all forgetting another possibility. One that I feel holds more likelihood than your previous suggestions." Hinata cut in. "You have all witnessed his strength in one form or another, correct? Well, perhaps the glasses are in place to hide the _source_ of that strength."

"You're suggesting that he may carry a Doujutsu?" Sasuke asked in clarification, his thoughts drifting to his own recently activated Sharingan.

Hinata nodded. "It is a possibility. A strong one, I believe, since it would also explain how he was able to fight evenly with a former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Great. Just great." Naruto muttered. "Now I'm gonna be wondering about Nii-san again on top of wanting to see what's under Kakashi-sensei's mask. Thanks a lot everybody."

Sakura's face scrunched up a bit in thought. "You know, that's true. Both of our teams have a sensei that seems to have something to hide. Jagaa-sensei with his eyes and Kakashi-sensei with his face."

"I think our teams just got stuck with the weirdos." Kiba commented, Akamaru following up with a bark of agreement."

"All right! That's it!" Naruto suddenly yelled slamming his palms onto the counter. "This can no longer stand! I say that Team's 7 and 8 join forces again and commence operation 'De-mystery-ize the Sensei! Who's with me?"

The rest of the Genin stared at the boy for sometime before Sasuke finally spoke with a deadpan expression that was mirrored by all the others. "De-mystery-ize?"

"…Shut up."

X X X X X

Jagaa's head perked and he went still as he searched for the cause of his sudden unease. Not sensing anything amiss, he turned his head so that he was facing Kakashi as best he could. "I just got a strange feeling. Like someone was out to get me."

"Oh, you too?" Kakashi responded. "I got the same feeling. At first I thought it was Gai, but he's still out on a mission. He pre-registered his team for the Chuunin Exams though, so he should be back any time."

"I was wondering why that bowl cut hadn't been around lately." Jagaa commented. "I've even already got a plan for his next challenge."

"Well that's good." Kakashi said before smiling. "More importantly, are you ready to play nice now?"

The silver haired man was currently holding the dirty-blonde tightly, but not enough to choke him, around the neck with his left arm, while his right hand was restraining Jagaa's own right arm that was holding his drawn sword aloft. A little to Kakashi's left, Asuma had put Jagaa's left arm into a standing bar, while his right leg was poised in front of both the scarred man's so that Jagaa would trip should he try to force his way forward.

"…I will if she will." The restrained man said grudgingly with a nod of his head towards his partner.

"What do you mean if _I_ will?" Kurenai growled, unable to move due to the snakes coming out of Anko's sleeves that were wrapped around her various limbs. The Kunai she had been attempting to draw lay in the dirt in front of her. "_You_ are the one who always antagonizes _me_!"

"Well this time you did with your damn Genjutsu attempts." The man argued.

"That was because you purposely embarrassed me, _again_, in front of the Hokage and all my peers!" She practically spat at him.

"Well maybe if you didn't take yourself so damn seriously it wouldn't be an issue then, would it?"

"Or maybe _you_ should learn some professionalism!"

"You mean acting like I have a stick up my ass? No thanks!"

"Why should I expect anything less from someone who has the mentality of a five year old?"

"_Seven_ year old, thank you!"

Three collective sighs could be heard by Kakashi, Anko, and Asuma as they shook their heads.

X X X X X

Naruto was trying very hard not to scream out loud as he stared into those blood red eyes. Seriously, what was with today? First, he'd been nearly killed by Bun-chan after he'd been tricked into asking if he could go down on her. Then, he'd almost been killed by Hinata when he stumbled upon her secret crush on Kiba. And now, he was being held forcefully against an alley wall by his brother's partner who looked like _she_ was planning to kill him. It was at that moment that Naruto came to the only explanation for this shitty ass day.

Kami _hated _him…and was probably a woman.

Licking his lips nervously, Naruto finally made to ask what it was the female Jounin wanted.

"What do I have to do?" Kurenai blurted out sounding extremely frustrated.

Naruto could admit that he was surprised by the sudden question, and it was evident in the expression he was giving the older woman. "Huh?"

"Your brother, what do I have to do to get back at him?" She said more calmly. "You said that best way was to prank him, but I'm not good with that sort of thing. That's why I need your help." The woman shook him a little when he didn't respond right away. "Come on. You want to get back at him to for the joke he played on you this morning, right?"

"Well…yeah." Naruto answered hesitantly, a little worried about how strangely the woman was acting. At least from what he knew of her. "But even if you suddenly ask me, I'm can't think of something right off the…" The boy paused, glancing the woman over as an idea struck him. "Actually, sensei, I think I do have something for you."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

Naruto raised his hands in a calming manner. "Now, just hear me out before you jump to a decision, because this prank would be something that will probably be a little out of your comfort zone. But it's something _only _you would be pull off," the boy gave her a mischievous grin. "And I can _guarantee_ that he'll never see it coming."

Kurenai only had think about it for a moment before her desire to get back at the scarred man overrode any restraint she may have. "I'm listening."

X X X X X

"So…why did we have to come all the way out here to tell them?" Jagaa asked the masked man on his left. "And where the hell did Princess run off to?" The two male Jounin and their combined teams were standing on a little red bridge crossing a small river running through the park area of Konoha. Asuma had decided he wanted to tell his team alone and had gone off sometime back, and Anko had spotted her favorite Dango stand and decided it was lunch time for her.

"Because I figured this was a good place to give good news." Kakashi replied without looking up from his book. "Though I don't know where Kurenai went. If you don't want to wait on her though, we could just go ahead and tell them."

"Hell no. This was her idea. So she gets the responsibility." Jagaa grunted, leaning back against the rail.

A bit to the side, the Genin observed the pair of Jounin with undisguised curiosity. "What do you think they're talking about?" Sakura finally asked.

Ino shrugged and spread her hands in confusion. "No clue. But I'm guessing it's important." She then turned to her fellow blonde in the group, who also happened to be the only one _not_ interested in what they were talking about and instead was looking around in anticipation. "What's up with you, Naruto?"

The whisker marked boy let out a low giggle. Glancing over at the Jounin to make sure they weren't paying attention, he signaled the other Genin to close in around him so he could whisper to them. "Okay, so Kurenai-sensei dragged me into an alley when no one was looking earlier because she wanted help on a way to prank Nii-san. Well, I think I came up something…and it's gonna be _awesome_!" The boy looked out past the bridge and the two oblivious Jounin and an eager grin lit up his features. "Here she comes now. This is gonna be so great."

Still not sure what to expect, the other Genin each turned respectively to follow his gaze…and every single jaw dropped.

Jagaa was leaning back against the rail lazily, his face tilted towards the sky and not even bothering to keep tabs on the happenings around him as he let the gentle breeze wash over him. So it wasn't until she was almost upon him that Jagaa sensed the familiar chakra signature of his missing partner. Pushing himself off the rail, he began turning to the late arrival. "Seriously, Princess, where the hell did you disa-a-a…a-a…a-a-a…" His mouth fell open in a stupor as he tried, and failed, to form some kind of intelligible word since forming a sentence was currently in the realm of impossibility. The noise even managed to bring Kakashi out of his book and soon into a state similar to Jagaa's as he saw the reason for the younger man's sudden loss of brain power.

Kurenai…was _hot_! Gone was the modest red and white dress she customarily wore. In its place, she wore a tight, red, leather mini skirt that would leave nothing to the imagination if it were even a couple millimeters shorter. Her breast were covered, barely at that, by a tight, black tube top that revealed a more than generous amount of cleavage, as well as the knowledge that she normally kept her breast bound. Her hitai-ate had also been removed, somehow making her features more erotic with the way it fell unrestricted to frame her face. Her blood red eyes were narrowed, like a predator stalking her prey, as she walked up to her stupefied partner.

"Why, Jagaa-san, what _ever_ is the matter?" She said in a sultry voice that made every male present go weak in the knees, her black heels clicking on the wooden bridge as she approached with catlike grace.

"Yo…wha…ho…wh…I…uh…" Jagaa tried and failed, yet again, to get his brain and mouth functioning properly.

The woman smirked ever so slightly as she gazed at the stammering man. She could admit that when Naruto had recommended this plan to her, she was more than a little doubtful that it would actually work seeing as what Jagaa's personality was like and all. However, it seemed the boy had been accurate in his assessment that Jagaa would be utterly blindsided by the tactic. The man had so completely casted her as a prudish stickler for the rules, that seeing her basically throwing away her modesty had sent his brain into a meltdown. A meltdown she was going to enjoy to the fullest.

"You seem a little, bothered, Jagaa-san." Kurenai said silkily, reaching out and slowly passing her hand up the length of his right arm, pausing only a moment in silent appreciation for how hard and well defined the muscle she could feel was, before putting her hand in the center of his chest. "Could there be something…exciting you?" This time the woman's suggestive smirk was clearly evident.

Jagaa stood stock still, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, before his hand shot up into a seal. "Kai!" He shouted in desperation. "Kai! Kai! Kaikaikaikai,KAI! FOR THE LOVE OF KAMI! _KAI_!"

Kurenai let out a girlish giggle and wrapped her arms loosely around Jagaa's neck. "Oh no, Jagaa-san, this is not a Genjutsu. I just started to think you might be right about me taking myself too seriously all the time. So I decided it might be time to learn to be more…expressive." The woman licked her lips hungrily, pushing her knee in between the man's thighs erotically. "Perhaps…you could _help_ me…Ja-gaa-san."

Jagaa's brain officially shut down.

Kurenai resisted the urge to laugh out loud as her partner's head fell back limply, making it a wonder how he was even still standing. This had turned out way better than she could have hoped. As she was wondering what she might be able to do to them man next, Kurenai noticed some strange movement. Glancing over to the source she saw Naruto, who was the only one who wasn't in a state of incredulity, frantically mouthing something and pointing to his eyes. It only took a second for her to remember what Naruto had asked for in exchange for helping her, and as seeing Jagaa's current state, it would be easy enough to accomplish.

'_I guess it's time for the fun to end._' The red eyed woman thought in disappointment. Oh well, it wasn't like she could do much more to him anyway now that he was comatose. Besides, she was kind of curious herself. Pulling her right arm back from around his neck, Kurenai slid her hand up the side of Jagaa's face as she reached for his glasses.

Unfortunately for Kurenai and Naruto, the action seemed to hit the restart button on the scarred man's brain and the next thing anyone knew, Jagaa had dove off the bridge head first. "COLD SHOWER!" He screamed just before a large splash filled the area.

Kurenai blinked a couple times in surprise as she watched the man surface with a huge gulp of air and drag himself half onto the shore to collapse in heap, but it didn't take long though for a pleased smirk to come to her face as she put her hand on the railing. Her fun wasn't over just yet.

Jagaa lay with his face half in the mud, panting as he tried to finish getting hold of himself. Thanks to the shock of the chilly water, Jagaa had once again regained his ability to think things through rationally and it didn't take him long to work out that the only explanation for his partner's sudden change in personality could be that she was trying to pay him back for all the hell he'd put her through. The bad part of that was that it was working…big time. The scarred man knew he was screwed if things kept up like this because he had no defense against it since it challenged everything that he come to understand as an absolute truth! Princess wasn't supposed to be hot! She wasn't supposed to be sexy! And she sure as hell was _not_ supposed be rubbing up against him like that! This was like expecting to be hit with a pebble, only to have a freakin' _mountain_ dropped on you.

The sound of a soft landing a several meters away caught his attention and Jagaa raised his head to watch Kurenai gracefully unfold from a crouch and gaze at him slyly. "Why, Jagaa-san, jumping into the water like that wasn't nice. If you really wanted to get wet that badly," The woman's tongue passed slowly along her lip as she began stalking towards him. "You should have just asked."

'_Dear KAMI! Have her hips always swayed like that? And please, for the love of all that's holy, do _not _let that skirt go any higher!_' Jagaa felt his mind starting to go blank again, most likely due to where all the blood was currently rushing, but managed to hang on due to the fear of what she might due to him if she succeeded in getting him in her clutches again. Because he somehow doubted that what was on her mind and what was 'one' of his were the same. Thankfully, the smarter of his two thinking processes managed to remember that there was a single person that might be able to save him, and the man shouted out as loud as he could in desperation. "ANKO-CHAN!"

Kurenai froze at the shout, her eyes widening. '_Oh no_.'

Almost as if she'd been awaiting the call, the plum haired woman materialized directly in front of him with a shunshin, a stick of dango in her hand. "You called, Jagaa-chan."

"Look!" He yelled, pointing past the Anko to Kurenai, who had gone rigid at the other woman's arrival. "Princess wanted you to see her new outfit!"

Anko shrugged and turned around lazily only to stop and go wide eyed at the sight, her dango falling limply from her hand. Still, Anko was not one to be shocked very long and her eyes turned predatory as she licked her lips. "Why, Nai-chan, you look…delicious."

"A-Anko. It-it's not…" Kurenai stuttered, backing away.

Anko looked down to where her fallen food lay and sighed. "Hmm, dear me. It seems I've dropped my dango." Turning her eyes back to Kurenai, the snake woman smiled. "So, I guess I'll have to _eat_ something _else_. Won't I, Nai-chan?" Without warning, Anko lunged towards the other woman who screamed and disappeared in a shunshin. Laughing maniacally, Anko preformed her own shunshin to start the hunt for her prey.

Once both women were gone, Jagaa let out an explosive sigh of relief and let his head fall back into the mud with an audible splat. He didn't know how long he lay there, but eventually the sound of several footsteps made him raise his head again to find Kakashi, with all the Genin standing behind him and appearing highly amused, looking down at him with his eye crinkled up in his trademark smile. "You know. I really wish I had a camera right now. Think I could borrow yours?"

"…I hate you."

X X X X X

The Genin of both Team 7 and 8 were starting to get frustrated. No, they were past that. They were to the point of ripping out their hair and screaming. After Kurenai's failed, albeit impressive, attempt to get Jagaa's glasses of in the midst of her prank, the six Genin had tried several different tactics to get either of their sensei to remove their concealing item. None of them worked.

First they had focused on Kakashi by taking him to Ichiraku's, the owner being delighted at all the recurring business, in an attempt to see his face when he was eating. However, just as Kakashi was about to remove his mask, Konohamaru had burst in and demanded that Naruto train him. It had only distracted them all for a few seconds, but in that time Kakashi had already finished his ramen and had his hands together in thanks.

Moving back to Jagaa, they enlisted the help of Konohamaru, in a very intimidating manner since he'd cost them their chance at Kakashi, to wait on a roof top with a bag of flour that he would drop on Jagaa's head. Thereby covering his glasses in flour and forcing him to remove them in order to clean them. Once again though, the plan failed. First, Konohamaru missed his target because Jagaa suddenly stopped and turned around to get a better look at a beautiful woman that had just passed. Then, when they thought they might at least get him with the expulsion of flour when the bag hit the ground, a sudden gust of wind came from nowhere and not only blew the white powder away from Jagaa…but sent it directly into all _their _faces.

The next time, hoping to get both at once, they decided to try something that couldn't be blown away by the wind and had the Hokage's grandson set up a paint trap that would blast the two of them in the face with red paint. With Naruto's help on the design, the trap itself worked flawlessly. What they hadn't counted on though, was both Kakashi and Jagaa actually ripping off a section of nearby wooden fencing to defend themselves with. A fence that just happened to belong to the Konoha animal shelter, who just happened to have let the dogs outside for some exercise, who just happened to mistake the six conspirators for their newest chew toys.

So, again, they were well beyond frustration…and several of them wouldn't be able to sit down for a while.

In fact, the only satisfaction any of them had managed to get so far was when Anko and Kurenai rejoined them, Kurenai back in her normal cloths and Anko sporting several large bumps and bruises on her head, Jagaa had practically cowered behind the snake wielding woman and, despite maintaining his normal mannerisms, had spent the last hour or so doing everything he could to keep Anko between himself and his partner Jounin sensei. The smirk on her face had showed that Kurenai had noticed it as well and was feeling rather proud of herself.

Which brought the six Genin to their last ditch attempt to force the two males to remove their items of mystery. The Onsen. It had actually been Sasuke's idea, something that surprised them all since he would never have tried to help out in something like this before, because people would normally remove something like a mask or sunglasses when going to the Onsen. It was a solid plan, but the girls had been vehemently against it since they wouldn't get to see their faces that way. It wasn't until Naruto ran and bought a waterproof disposable camera and promised to get pictures for the girls that they agreed and helped convince the three sensei to take them, an act that had proven difficult in itself.

So it was due to these events that now Naruto, Sasuke, and Kiba were currently in the warmth of the outdoor bath with the lower half of their faces submerged into the water as they waited for the two people in question to make their appearance.

"I really think this will work." Kiba gurgled through the water, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Me too, and I've got the camera ready." Naruto responded with a torrent of bubbles, holding the item up for the other two to see.

"Of course it will work." Sasuke's proud retort bubbled back. "I _am_ a genius of the Uchiha clan, after all."

Fortunately, the fight that was about to start from the proclamation was immediately disrupted by the sound of two familiar voices on an approach to the entrance. At long last, the mystery of the two Jounin would be solved. With eyes gleaming in anticipation, the three Genin swiftly locked on to the new arrivals…only to scream in frustration that bordered on despair under the water.

In place of his mask, Kakashi had draped a small hand towel across the lower half of his face to act in its stead while Jagaa had put a slightly larger towel on the top of his head that fell over his eyes like a hood, effectively hiding them from sight. The two Jounin continued their idle chatting, passing by the three genin who looked like they were trying to drown themselves and taking a seat in a relatively secluded section of the large bath.

"So you noticed to, eh?" Jagaa said with a movement of his head to indicate the male children on their respective teams.

"It was fairly obvious." Kakashi replied with a smile.

Jagaa smirked back at the man. "Yep. Normally I'd just wear my shades anyway, but I figured this would be more fun. And I was right." Kakashi's smile widened in agreement.

"Get away from me, Anko!" Kurenai's voice suddenly sounded on the other side of the wall they were situated near.

"Aww, come on, Nai-chan." The other woman called coyly. "You've got such lovely breasts. Just let me feel them. Lick them. Bury my face in them."

"I said no and I mean NO!" Kurenai shouted. "It's bad enough that you practically tried to rape me earlier!"

"Tch, you're so stingy." Anko huffed. "Look. Sakura isn't as stingy as you. Maybe she'd like to come play with me."

"A-Anko-san! P-please stop touching me there!" Sakura cried out.

"STOP THAT THIS-oof!" Kurenai's sudden cut off was followed by a large splash.

"Gotcha, Nai-chan!"

"G-get off me! GAHH! STOP LICKING THAT! ANKO!"

Kakashi was having to fight very seriously to hold off the nosebleed that was trying to force its way out when a wall of earth suddenly rose up from the water about five meters out in a half moon shape from where he and Jagaa were sitting, effectively separating the two from the rest of the of the bath. Looking at Jagaa curiously, Kakashi was given a shrug in response.

"I noticed a few hands make some sudden trips beneath the water."

"…I see." Kakashi replied as he examined the man's calm composure. "You don't seem too bothered by what's going on."

"Then I suggest you don't look down."

"…Ah."

"Is that Jagaa-chan!?" Anko suddenly yelled excitedly. "Where are you, Jagaa-chan?" The sound of nails on wood reached their ears as the woman scratched at the wall like a cat.

"Right here." The man responded. "Sounds like you're having fun over there, Anko-chan."

"Pfft, maybe if Nai-chan wasn't such a prude." The woman paused and the men got the impression she was sticking her tongue out at the other female Jounin.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Naruto is over here, butt naked. So you can spend your time imagining what that might look like." Jagaa offered helpfully.

"NII-SAN/JAGAA!" Naruto and Kurenai's voices shouted out indignantly.

"Hmm, I need a little more info for a good mental picture." The plum haired woman mused thoughtfully. "What's he workin' with?"

"…You know. That's a good question." Jagaa quickly wove a few seals and slapped the top of the water. A second later Naruto was launched into the air with a surprised scream only to be caught by the waiting Jagaa. Holding the boy out of the water Jagaa did a quick examination and let out a disgruntled sigh. "The world is just so unfair sometimes."

"What? What?" Anko called out in anticipation.

"Let me put it this way. If this is what he's packin at only the age of thirteen, then by the time he's fully developed, I don't think even _you_ would be able to handle him, Anko-chan."

A deafening silence filled the air on both sides of the fence. A silence that didn't last too long as Anko began tearing at the logs separating the baths. "I WANT! I WANT! I WANT! GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!"

Jagaa turned his head to the sound of the destruction then to the blonde he was currently holding and an evil smirk came to his face.

"NOOOOO!" Naruto screamed as Jagaa's hand flashed before he threw the terrified blonde over the top of the wall. A large splash marked the boy's landing before he resurfaced with a huge intake of breath.

"Oh MY GOD! THERE'S A MALE in…oh my." The female side of the Onsen that seemed just about to go into a mass outrage suddenly went quiet.

"MEEE WAAAAANNNNT!" This time there were several more voices than just Anko's.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The sound of Naruto destroying a section of wall in his escape was clearly evident. As well as the fact that every woman in the place had gone after him.

"Think they remembered to put on clothes?" Jagaa idly asked to no one in particular.

A split second later the male side of the Onsen was also vacated save Jagaa and Kakashi.

"I'm kinda surprised Sasuke was the first one out." Jagaa commented before facing Kakashi. "And more surprised that you're still here."

"I wanted to know what that stuff was that you splashed on Naruto before you threw him over." The other man admitted.

"Oh, that." Jagaa pulled a small vial of yellow liquid out of the water. "It's a super concentrated pheromone that will make even the most hard core lesbian want to screw the shit out of the guy wearing it. A friend of mine made it while back." The man frowned a little. "The problem is that it's _too_ strong. You can't just use it on one woman, because it affects any woman that gets even a small whiff of it. So I've just kept it on reserve for pranks. I actually used it on him on his graduation day as a way of paying him back for making me become a Jounin here. I put it under his bandana and covered it with a chakra bubble that would burst the second he took it off to replace it with his hitai-ate. And from what I hear, it worked pretty damn well."

"I see…but, seeing as you don't have any pockets or anything to keep it in conveniently, you bringing it in with you means that you must have been planning to do this to him from the beginning." Kakashi observed. "Why is that?"

"Cause I'm _one hundred _percent sure that the little bastard was somehow responsible for that stunt Princess pulled earlier!" The man almost snarled. "I don't know when, and I don't know how, but I know he had to have been the one to give her the idea!" Jagaa paused and Kakashi got the distinct impression he was being glared at. "Unless…someone _else_ helped her. Like the person who put a pie throwing machine outside my front door. Something I still _owe_ that certain person for."

Kakashi broke out into a nervous sweat and started backing away slowly. "I, uh, think I'll go see if those naked women are still chasing Naruto. Bye then." Kakashi vanished quickly in a swirl of leaves.

With an irate sigh, Jagaa lay his head back against the stone surrounding the bath while trying very, _very_ hard not to think about the way Kurenai had been dressed earlier…as well as wishing the damn water was a whole lot colder.

X X X X X

The Sandaime Hokage stood at his window overlooking the village, his pipe in hand and an expectant smile on his lips. The ANBU he had assigned to watch Jagaa had just reported that he was heading for the Onsen with his fellow Jounin sensei and their teams. Now all he had to do was wait for word that Jagaa was intending to stay there for a while and he'd have the opportunity he needed. Turning back to his desk, Sarutobi bent down and opened the large bottom drawer.

'_Soon now. Very soon._' He thought as he smiled eagerly at the contents. His musings were cut short when he felt the presence of someone he had been expecting for some time. Closing the drawer, he took his seat behind the desk. "Welcome back, Tenzou."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The ANBU responded formally as he appeared in kneeling position in the middle of the room.

"I must say, I expected you back some time ago." The Hokage said, resting his chin on his folded hands. "It seems it was much more difficult than I anticipated."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Jagaa-san, it seems, has been keeping a relatively low profile, as difficult as that may be to believe, in the years since taking Naruto-kun into his care." The ANBU reported. "However, through backtracking and the local gossip, I was able to retrace his steps."

Sarutobi nodded, pleased that it seemed the mission had been a success. For some time now, the aged Hokage had felt something just didn't add up in Jagaa's behavior, the biggest one being his attitude. At first, Sarutobi was able to pass off the man's complete disregard for authority as just a trait that was similar to Naruto's own inability to recognize it but, the more time passed, the more the elderly man started to doubt that theory. For Jagaa, it didn't seem like he was ignoring authority because he didn't recognize it…but because he knew he _could_. As if he was a wolf in sheep's clothing that had become content to eat the grass along with the sheep, but knew he could go back to eating those same sheep any time he wanted. At first, Sarutobi had tried to pass it off as old age making him overly sensitive…but then Kakashi's report came. If Sarutobi had any doubts before, the knowledge that the man in question had not only fought with a former member of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen but had also come away from it completely unharmed, quickly dispelled them. It was then that he decided that it was time to look into exactly who it was that he had so easily let into the Konoha ranks and had sent Tenzou to find out.

"So, what did you discover?" The Hokage questioned.

Tenzou hesitated for a moment before pulling out a folder. "I think you should see for yourself, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as the ANBU walked up and put the folder on his desk. Curiously, he opened up the document and began skimming through it. He was only two pages into it when he froze at what he saw and his pipe fell from his mouth. "This can't be! He's one of _those_ five! Are you certain this is correct, Tenzou?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The man nodded. "I was even able to locate another member of the group, a woman named Hitomi, who was kind enough to clarify my findings."

The old man rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I knew he was hiding something, but for it to be this big…Do we know which one he is."

"…Hai. It's…on the next page."

Slowly, Sarutobi turned the page of the document, and this time it fell from his hands at what he found. "He's…I don't believe this. He's _that_ person. He's supposed to be a myth. Nobody has heard or seen anything of him since…" Sarutobi's eyes widened as he came to a realization. "Six years ago. It was six years ago that the reports just suddenly stopped."

"Around the same time that Jagaa-san took charge of Naruto. Hai." Tenzou clarified what his leader had just come to understand. "So what shall we do, Hokage-sama."

The old man fell into silence as he frowned in thought while Tenzou waited anxiously. Then, without warning, the village leader's face lit up with a grin. "Nothing."

"Hokage-sama?" The ANBU asked in confusion.

"We do nothing. We treat him exactly the same as we've always treated him." The old man clarified. "Though I am surprised about what we learned about him, I have no doubt that Jagaa-san truly cares for Naruto, and I believe he has also come to care about others in the village such as his Genin team and his partner, Kurenai. I even tend to think he may have befriended Kakashi to some degree. Besides, if his personality is anything to go by, if he wanted to do harm to our village he wouldn't do it in such a roundabout way as trying to attack from within. He would have just attacked."

Sarutobi picked his pipe up from the desk and put it back into his mouth. "However, I must ask that this conversation never leaves this room, and that we increase security on Naruto. The Inuzuka have been a great help in this, but I'd like to have at least two ANBU assisting them whenever possible. With someone like Jagaa watching over him, it's even more imperative that no harm comes to the boy from anyone within the village. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Tenzou declared before vanishing.

Making sure that the ANBU was indeed gone, Sarutobi once again opened the drawer he'd been looking into earlier and his grin came back in full force. "Yes. We'll treat him exactly as we would have anyway."

X X X X X

Jagaa was more tired than he thought he should be as he opened the door to his apartment. The Onsen hadn't been relaxing in the least, even with all the people having run off for various reasons. In fact, it might have been worse that they all left because there had been nothing to help distract him from memory of how incredibly hot Kurenai had looked that day, a memory that both his heads seemed fully intent on keeping at the forefront of his thoughts.

There was also something else that was bothering him though, and that was that he seemed to be forgetting something, something fairly important, and whatever it might be was being completely overridden by images of a sexy Kurenai that were _still_ putting him on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Mostly because of the fact he'd never had any problem with any other women dressing like that…Just her.

"Ah, fuck it!" He suddenly said loudly to himself. "I'm not gonna get anywhere dwelling on it. I just have to go to bed, try to get some sleep, and hope she _never_ does that again." Feeling a bit better, Jagaa went straight to his room, fully intent on making his plan a reality. As soon as he walked into the room though, he noticed something off, and that something was in the form of a little stuffed cat sitting in the dead middle of his floor. Seeing that his day hadn't been going all that great so far, Jagaa was wary as he approached the stuffed feline. Carefully extending his senses, he checked for chakra, mechanisms, and anything else that might reveal the cat's purpose in being there, but in the end, he found nothing. Finally, curiosity won out over caution and the man reached down and picked up the stuffed animal. "What the hell is this?"

As soon as the words left his lips Jagaa felt a spike of chakra from the cat but didn't have time to react before it exploded in his hand, coating both him and the rest of his room in thick creamy substance. It took some time for him to register just what had happened, but once he did, Jagaa lifted his coated hand to his mouth and took a small sample of the familiar substance.

"Whipped…cream?" He said slowly before his eyes widened behind his glasses.

"GEEEEEEZZZEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR!"

X X

Alone in a little room with his crystal ball on the desk in front of him, the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi, leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together on his lap and tilting his head back with his eyes closed, a small smile of contentment on his face.

**A/N:** Well, there you have it. I actually debated going into the start of the Chuunin Exams with this chap, but decided I'd rather just start it in the next one. So you can expect the next chap to be a _loooong_ one.

Oh, it was also brought to my attention a while back that my Muse does not, if fact, have a name. I guess since I just usually call her drunken homicidal bitch, I've never really needed to name her. Unfortunately, now she wants one, and I don't know what to call her. It doesn't help that she keeps insisting that it be a fancy or exotic name like Celestia, or Serenity, or something. So I was wondering if anyone could help. (Glances over his shoulder for signs of his muse before continuing in a whisper) Personally, I was thinking Gretchen, or Gurtrude, or Wicked Witch of the West. (A strange sound comes from behind him and FTK turns around.) HOLY SHIT! WHERE DID YOU GET A FLAMETHROWER?!

And thus FTK dies, never to write again...unless, perhaps, he is resurrected through the power of reviews.


	13. Finally, the Chuunin Exam Begins!

**AN:** Damn has it been a long time since I updated. Hell, even I was starting to think I may have died. Seriously! So, even though it isn't as long as I was originally planning, probably only a bit over half way, I decided to post the next chap to let everyone know that I'm still alive and working on the next chaps. Honestly, I don't get a lot of time, if any, to write anymore with 2 jobs and full time school, but I still try when I can or am not too tired. So, I'm sorry for the long delays between updates and want to thank all of you who read and review since it always reminds me that there are people waiting to read more and it motivates me to work on it. So, once again, thank you all.

(A figure glows behind FTK and the author nods.) Oh, I would also like to thank everyone who was kind enough to make a suggestion for the name of my muse. There were many great ones and it was a difficult choice. But, I would like to introduce, named in writing for the first time ever, my muse, Rhea! (The glowing figure bows politely to the screen) For those of you who don't know, Rhea was the name of the mother of the Olympian Gods, and when she learned that, she fell in love with the name because she said it suited her perfectly. I actually tend to agree with her. Since the Olympian gods were known for their vanity, pettiness, and cruelty, I can easily see her as being their mother. She practically reeks of all three traits herself.

(WIth an angry glow, Rhea pulls out her AK, but FTK counters by throwing on a bullet proof vest and a ballistic helmet. Cursing, Rhea grabs her flamethrower, but FTK is prepared with a fire extinguisher.) Ha! I'm completely prepared for you this time! (FTK yells triumphantly. Her glow becoming even more angry, Rhea drops both her weapons and pulls out a large walkie talkie.) Huh? What are you gonna do with… (FTK trails off as he watches the Apache Helicopter armed with Hellfire missiles rise up from behind his muse and take aim at him.) …When did you get military assets? (The Apache fires, FTK screams, and explosions fill the air.)

**Disclaimer:** (Voice of the Apache pilot comes over the radio) This is, Wrath of Muse 7. Be advised. Target, FreeTheKyuubi, does not own the series called Naruto. I repeat. Target, FreeTheKyuubi, does not own Naruto. Wrath of Muse 7, out.

**Chapter 13:** Finally, the Chuunin Exams Begin!

"I can't _believe_ they forgot to tell us about this!" Naruto shouted as he, Kiba, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino all tore through the village at breakneck speeds to reach their destination. "How could someone forget to tell their teams that they signed them up for the Chuunin exams!?"

"Well, yesterday was fairly, chaotic, if I remember correctly." Hinata replied as she vaulted over a large man's shoulders, leaving him staring around in confusion as to what happened.

Naruto almost tripped as he remembered the events of the day before. Thank Kami he knew _Tajuu Kage Bunshin._ He didn't think he would have escaped those women if he didn't, especially the crazy lady.

"They were going to tell us at the bridge, but Kurenai-sensei's arrival sent everything out of control." Sasuke added, his Sharingan activated to allow him to take advantage of every possible opening in the crowd. "So in a sense it's _your_ fault, Moron, since you helped her come up with the idea."

"What the hell kind of Sensei asks for help with a prank before giving her students big news like this! Whoah!" Naruto had to break just enough to avoid plowing into an old woman before darting around her.

"A really pissed off one!" Ino shouted as she used her chakra to run horizontally on the side of a building. "I think she'd just finally snapped and didn't care what else was going on! Can't say I can really blame her!"

"I do kinda wish I'd been able to train more before taking the exam though!" Sakura called as she weaved through obstacles.

"If we don't pick up the pace we won't get to take them at all!" Kiba shouted.

"All right everyone, let's go all out and get to that exam!" Naruto yelled encouragingly, pumping his fist into the air.

Sasuke's voice was the only one absent from the chorus of agreement before the Genin all forced themselves too greater speeds in order to make it on time.

X

The six Genin of Teams 7 and 8 could be seen gasping for air and sweat pouring down their faces as they each struggled to get their bodies back to a state where they could function properly. Thankfully they had received a small amount of saving grace when Hinata had suggested they all take to the rooftops so that they wouldn't have to dodge all the civilians and save a bit more energy, otherwise they probably would have collapsed halfway there with how hard they were running. They also silently decided it was for the best that no one comment on why none of them had thought of that sooner.

After a time of exhausted breathing, they began taking glances around them to see if they could locate the entrance they were supposed to use to get to the exams, and immediately their suspicions started to rise when they saw a large gathering of other Genin, both Konoha and foreign, staring at them strangely.

"…Why don't any of these people look like they're in any sort of rush?" Ino finally asked in a hard voice as she observed a few Kusa Genin walk through the door way while talking casually.

"I'm gonna _kill_ him!" Naruto snarled. "Ten minutes! He told us we had _TEN_ minutes before the exam started! And he had us meet him on the other end of the fucking village! I don't care what it takes! I'm kick the crap out of that no good Nii-san!"

"Considering who it was that informed us about the exam, I suppose we should have at least considered the possibility he wasn't being _entirely_ honest." Hinata admitted grudgingly.

"Who cares!" Kiba growled. "I still want to kick his ass!" Akamaru barked in a way that distinctly sounded of whole hearted agreement.

Sasuke kept quite through the ranting of his teammates, but the gleam coming from his onyx eyes were revealing his own thoughts on the subject in no uncertain terms.

Sakura, however, was staying silent out of worry for what she may say if she tried to add her input. Sometimes, when she was under severe physical or mental stress, she would find herself much more in tune with Inner Sakura than normal, and right now her inner self was shouting some rather gruesome intentions for her scarred sensei.

"Well, there is nothing we can do about it at the moment." Hinata finally concluded, straightening up and looking at the large building in front of them. "At least now we are here."

Taking Hinata's words to heart, Naruto forced himself to calm down and instead narrowed his eyes on the structure. "Can't say I'm happy to have to come back to the academy though. Even if it _is_ for the Chuunin Exam."

"No kidding." Kiba said scratching his cheek. "I thought I'd be rid of this place for good."

"Fond memories of a couple slackers, eh?" Ino said, grinning at the pair before looking to the entrance. "Hard to believe that the last time we were here, we pretty much hated each other. Now we always seem to be hanging out together."

"Indeed." Hinata added. "I suppose it can change people though…risking their lives together." The six Genin paused as the events of their mission to Wave Country flashed through their minds, each one masking their emotions as they recalled different feelings and experiences.

"Gah, this is getting too serious!" Naruto shouted as he rubbed both sides of his head before pointing at the doorway. "Now isn't the time to be thinking about the past! Now is the time to be thinking about how we're gonna _dominate_ these stupid exams, become Chuunin, and then rub it Nii-san's face! Now let's go kick some ass!" The other five felt their spirits rise at the sunny-blonde's declaration and each nodded their agreement, following the confident boy as he boldly walked through the entrance.

X

"So, what room are we supposed to go to again?" Naruto asked as the six of them climbed the stairs to the next level.

"301." Sakura answered. "But we'll have to leave this stairwell and follow the hallway to the next set if we want to get there. The rooms at the top of this set of stairs only go from 200 through 235."

Naruto turned back and grinned at her. "You can still remember the layout of this place? That's kinda impressive, Sakura-chan."

The pink haired girl felt her face start to color and she quickly turned away with a feigned cough to hide it. "It's no big deal."

It didn't take much longer for the group to finish their climb and exit the stairwell on Sakura's directions. However, almost as soon as they did, the six Genin found themselves staring at the back of a large group of people gathered in the middle of the hallway.

"Uh, what's going on?" Kiba asked, craning his neck in an attempt to see over the crowd.

The Genin that was closest to them in the back turned to the arriving group revealing his Kiri hitai-ate. "Some assholes are blocking the door to the exam room and not letting anyone through…I think some of your people."

"Oh, eh, hehe, sorry." Kiba laughed nervously under the Kiri boy's hard gaze. "We don't know them though so…" The foreign nin glared at the Inuzuka for a few more moments before turning away, earning a relieved exhale of breath from Kiba.

"That's strange." Hinata commented in a voice just loud enough for the other members of her group to hear. "I trust Sakura's memory on the location of the room, which means these other Genin are guarding the wrong one. Why has no one noticed?"

"Genjutsu, maybe." Sakura suggested. "I felt something off when we came onto this floor, but I wasn't sure so…"

Hinata examined the girl for a moment before lowering her eyes and discreetly activating her Byakugan. "You're correct. They do have a genjutsu in place." Raising her head again, Hinata gave the pink haired girl an appraising look. "I'm impressed that you could sense that from this distance. It is a very subtle change. Perhaps you have skills in the area of genjutsu."

"Oh? Well, umm, thank you." Sakura said with a small amount of embarrassment, mostly due to the fact everyone, meaning Naruto, was now looking at her.

"Okay then. Why don't we just go around them?" Ino suggested. "It may even cut down some of our competition if we don't let them know they're at the wrong door."

"I agree." Hinata added.

"Heh, okay then, it's decided." Naruto as he turned towards the crowd ahead. "We'll just go aro…Huh? Bun-chan?" Naruto shielded his eyes like a scout as he peered through an opening that had just formed in the mass of people. "What's she doing trying to…YOU SON OF A BITCH!" With his sudden shout, Naruto darted forward and weaved his way through the masses before all but one of his companions could even register what was happening.

X

Tenten rubbed her stinging face as she sat on the floor looking up at the pair that was barring her team's path to the room. Even though they knew it was a fake, she and her team had agreed it would be best to keep a low profile. Which also meant trying to blend in by acting is if they had been fooled as well, then going to the right room while acting as if they were giving up. It was a good plan, but she could admit that she was starting to regret it…at least a little. Faking weakness or not, a direct blow to the cheek was never pleasant.

"What did you say?" One of the older teens, with two large Kunai strapped to his back, said as he looked over the gathered genin hopefuls. "We're being kind to you."

"That's right." The second teen who wore his hitai-ate like a bandana covering his head said as he lowered his fist. "We've seen people who have given-"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The bandana teen let out a cry of pain as a fist connected solidly with the side of his face and he was sent heavily to the floor.

A gasp went through the crowd at the sudden attack, and Tenten started in surprise when she realized that the one now standing over the groaning older Genin that had hit her, was none other than the whisker marked blonde she had become familiar with. However, something was different about him. His normally bright, blue eyes were hard and cold as ice as he looked down on her antagonist with a blank expression. As if he were a seasoned Ninja and not a rookie that had only recently become a Genin.

"Why you-" The other Genin in the way shouted as he prepared to attack the blonde who was completely ignoring him. But before he could even start his fist forward, he felt someone grab his arm and a split second later a heavy impact to his gut left him falling to his knees and gasping for air.

The sound of the attempted shout drew Naruto's attention away from the teen he had just floored and he looked over to see the other member of the two also going to the ground. Just off to his side, Sasuke lowered his right knee that he had just rammed into the older teens stomach and looked over to Naruto. Neither of them spoke, but something clearly passed between them as Naruto gave a short nod of gratitude and turned back to his own opponent. "So…You want to tell me why you hit a girl who wasn't even trying to attack you?"

A chill went through the crowd at the boy's frigid tone, and Tenten could only stare in disbelief.

Spitting out blood, the older Genin climbed back to his feet and glared at the sunny-blonde. "What's it to you? It's her own fault if she's too weak to dodge a punch like that. She shouldn't even be in the Chuunin exams."

Naruto's eyes narrowed and his tone turned lethal. "Wrong answer."

There was a sudden blur of motion and the next thing anyone saw was the blonde haired boy being blocked by another boy, this one dressed in green spandex and his black hair sporting a bowlcut style, and that the blonde had managed to get a kunai mere millimeters from his target's left eye before the new arrival had caught his wrist. With a yelp of shock, the older boy fell to the floor and quickly started scooting backwards, his eyes filled with dread.

"Tch…damnit." Naruto growled in a low tone.

The green clad boy restraining the blonde let out an explosive breath and grinned. "That was quite close. I wasn't expecting you to be so strong and it almost kept me from stopping you. Your flames of youth burn brightly indeed."

"Good work, Lee." A cool voice came from the side and a boy with long, brown hair and eyes that clearly marked him as a Hyuuga stepped out from the crowd of Genin to stand beside the other boy.

With a grunt, Naruto pulled away from the boy identified as Lee and gave a hard stare to the pair now blocking him from the other Genin. "Why did you stop me?"

"Because you would have been disqualified, at best, if you had killed another participant before the exams had even begun." The Hyuuga boy said seriously. "And even if it was due to the fact we were trying not to stand out, the fact remains that you came to our teammate's defense. We could not stand by and allow you to be punished for what could be termed, our own actions."

"Indeed, Neji is correct!" Lee shouted energetically. "To let a comrade who so youthfully defended the honor of our fair Tenten be disqualified or imprisoned for his heroic act would extinguish our own flames of youth!"

Naruto stared at the pair for some time before closing his eyes and letting out a slow sigh then opening them again to reveal they had lost the icy edge that had previously been there. "Well, thanks then. I'd hate to cost my team their chance to be promoted. I guess I shoulda known something was up when bun-chan took that hit since I know full well how strong she really is." Naruto admitted, his voice becoming more normal as he scratched the back of his head and looked over to Tenten, who was still on the floor staring up at him in disbelief, with a small grin. "I can't believe you just stood there and let him hit you, Bun-chan."

Tenten gaped for a moment at the blonde's sudden change of mood, but quickly covered it up with a glare. "Well, there _was_ a reason for it, as Neji-kun said, and now you've gone and ruined the whole thing."

Naruto blanched a bit and backed away warily. "S-sorry, but you know, if you hadn't let yourself get punched by trying to go in the wrong room, I wouldn't have ever jumped in, right?"

Immediately after his statement, audible whispers echoed through the hallway as the on looking Genin turned to their teammates. 'Wrong room? What does that mean? Isn't this the room? It was 301, right? Hey, wait. I think this is genjutsu.'

"Well, congratulations, Naruto." Hinata said dully as she and the rest of teams 7 and 8 walked up to the blonde with expressions bordering on exasperation. "Not only did you manage to ruin your friend's team's plan of staying inconspicuous, but you've also destroyed any chance of eliminating some of the competition by letting them continue trying to get into the wrong room. Well done."

Naruto blushed a bit and quickly looked away with a pout, a small mumble about it 'being more fun with more competition anyway' as his only defense to cover his embarrassment.

"Ah, come on, Hinata." Ino said good-naturedly while casting an amused glance at the pouting blonde. "He may be right about that. I'd hate to lose the chance to show of what I got." The blonde girl smirked seductively and struck a pose to accentuate her 'assets', an act that forced many of the male Genin around them to quickly cover their noses.

Hinata's eyes narrowed on the blonde. "That's not something I would normally have expected from you, Ino."

The other girl grinned widely. "Maybe it's a side effect of a certain sensei of mine."

Hinata blinked a couple of times then turned to Sakura. "Please tell me that you haven't been similarly influenced, Sakura."

The pink haired girl hesitated a moment under Hinata's gaze. "Well, I don't really know if I'm actually ready for the Chuunin exam…but…I do want to see how far I've come in my training. Also…" Sakura blushed lightly and smiled at Naruto. "I thought Naruto looked really cool just then."

Naruto rubbed his finger under his nose in mild embarrassment. "Ah, thanks, Sakura-chan."

Unnoticed by anyone, even the girl herself, Tenten's eye gave a very small twitch at the short exchange between the blonde and the pinkette.

Hinata cast a quick glance over at the remaining two members of her combined group and let out a sigh. Kiba's eyes were practically glowing with desire to show off his skills, and Sasuke's, even while maintaining his stoic appearance, were narrowed just enough to convey his own feelings on the matter. Rolling her pupil-less lavender eyes, the Hyuuga girl rubbed her right temple. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Seems you are the babysitter of the group, Hinata-sama." Neji said as he walked up to the girl, a small smile of amusement lighting his features.

Hinata looked over to the boy who just spoke and a small smile of her own came to her face as she addressed the other Hyuuga. "Indeed. But you could say I've started to get used to it, Neji-nii-san."

"Eh? Nii-san?" Naruto said in surprise, hopping to his feet. "You never told us that you had a brother…Hey, wait! What do you mean babysitter? You tryin to start something." The now irate boy began bobbing back and forth throwing light jabs in the other boy's general direction and making whooshing noises as he did. His antics were quickly brought to a halt as Ino slammed a fist to the back of his head, sending him face first into the floor.

"What is with you and trying to pick a fight with everyone? Geeze."

Hinata shook her head as she looked down on her noisy teammate. "He's not actually my brother, Naruto. He's my cousin. However, I do view him as an older brother much the way you view Jagaa-san as your own brother."

"…Oh." Naruto's reply came back a bit muffled from his face still being in the floor.

The Hyuuga girl sighed for what she felt had to have been the thousandth time that morning and turned back to Neji. "Sometimes I wonder if it's too late to ask to be transferred to a different team."

"Ah, don't say that, Hinata." Kiba grinned as he walked up and threw an arm over the girl's slender shoulders. "You know you wouldn't have near as much fun on a team without me and Naruto."

Hinata glanced over at the Inuzuka boy before quickly averting her eyes. "…Well, I suppose it is true that there are some advantages to being on this team." If one had looked closely, they would have been able to see the slightest dusting of pink on the pale girl's cheeks.

"Excuse me, but might you be, Kiba-san." Neji suddenly asked, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly on the boy with his arm around Hinata. The question made the girl's eyes widen for an instant but she quickly covered her reaction with a look of indifference.

"Yeah, that's me." The Inuzuka responded easily before pointing to the puppy on his head. "And this is Akamaru." The canine barked a quick greeting of his own.

"…I see." The Hyuuga boy said his tone cool and his expression unreadable.

"Ahh, you two make such a cute couple." Naruto gushed from the floor, batting his eyes at Kiba and Hinata like a love struck school girl. "I think you two should get married and start having little Inuhyuugas together."

A laugh went through the crowd that went unnoticed by the Uzumaki or the Hyuugas as two pairs of pulsing Byakugan locked on the sunny-blonde with murderous intensity making it all the boy could do not to run off laughing like a maniac. He had just gotten a serious point in against Hinata, though he wasn't sure why that Neji guy looked so pissed, with that one and there was nothing she could do about it without raising everyone's suspicions as to why she might've reacted to it. His blue eyes locking on Hinata's lavender ones, the boy let them do all gloating while the girl ground her teeth in fury.

"Jeeze, don't say stuff like that." Kiba groaned as he looked around at the spectating genin. "People will get the wrong idea and think we're dating or something."

Eyes still on Hinata, Naruto gave the glowering girl the smallest trace of a triumphant smirk. "Ah, my bad. Wouldn't want to spread any _unwanted_ rumors. Right, Hinata-chan?"

It was taking every ounce of control she had for Hinata not to kill the boy right then and there, consequences be damned. But still, Hinata was not one to go down without a fight and there was no way she was letting Naruto get away with this. No way in hell. So, putting on her best smile, something that instantly made Naruto a bit nervous, the girl spoke sweetly. "Speaking of couples, Naruto, aren't you currently going out with someone? I believe you said her name was Tenten." The girl smirked evilly as Naruto's eyes widened to impossible sizes at her question.

"WHAT!?" Tenten screamed furiously, grabbing the boy by the collar and hauling his face close so that her chocolate brown eyes could glare into his frightened blue eyes. "You've been saying that we're going out!?"

"N-no!" Naruto stammered quickly. "I've never said we were going out! I swear!" Tenten's eyes became suspicious and she looked over to Hinata for clarification.

"Well, it's true that he's never actually said it." Hinata admitted, allowing Naruto to briefly wonder if she might be planning to show him some mercy. The evil glint in her eye when she looked at him before continuing quickly proved him wrong. "But the way he described your eyes the other day was so…poetic, that I was certain that the two of you must be in a very passionate relationship."

Tenten slowly turned back to the blonde in her grip with an aura of pure malice radiating off her and Naruto quickly waved his hands in defense. "Wait, wait! I honestly don't remember what I even said! I just thought about that time I saw your eyes in your backyard! Remember? When you were all flushed and panting and I was on top of you and we were both hot and sweaty and-GUAHH" Naruto smashed into the wall with an incredible amount of force courtesy of one Feminine Fury filled right hook from a madly blushing Tenten.

"Don't say things that will cause miss understanding, Baka-chibi!" She screamed as the boy groaned. Rounding on the onlookers she found many of the females looking aghast while the males leered and she glared at them dangerously. "We were just training together and fell on top each other during a spar! That's it! Got it?" Despite the skeptical looks, they spectators decided it would be best to leave it at that, especially considering the way she was gripping that kunai.

"Ouch. Damnit." Naruto groaned as he rubbed the side of his head. "Can't I even go one day without a girl beating me up?"

"Do you have any idea how pathetic that question just made you sound?" Kiba smirked at his blonde friend.

"…Shut up."

"Stop wasting time, Moron." Sasuke said from the side. "We're supposed to be going to room 301, not enjoying watching you get beat up by women."

"Hey, I'm not wasting time and…Wait! You just said _enjoying_ didn't you, you bastard!"

Hinata, Kiba, Sakura, and Ino all quickly grabbed the blonde just in time to keep him from launching himself at that Uchiha. With a grunt of amused satisfaction Sasuke turned and continued down the hall, leaving the fuming blonde behind.

"Damn Teme." Naruto muttered when his friends finally let him go. "I'm so gonna kick the crap out of him in this exam. Just watch. I'll have him saying, Uzumaki-sama, please forgive this lowly fool for ever doubting your abilities. Then I'll say, that's okay, Teme. I'll forgive you if you…bring me ramen, _bitch_! Yeah. That's what I'll say. He he he."

Feeling rather unnerved by the rather insane glint that had appeared in the hyperactive blonde's eyes the four remaining members of the group decided it was best to follow after their more stoic companion. It wasn't until a sizable number of the crowd had also dispersed that Naruto finally realized he had been left behind by his team. "Hey! Wait up!" He called as he started running after them, only to be jerked to a stop when someone grabbed the back of his jacket, almost taking him to the ground. Spinning quickly, Naruto found himself looking directly into Tenten's chocolate brown eyes and a nervous smile made its way to his face. "Uh, what's up, Bun-chan."

The girl took a slow, deep breath and offered the boy a smile that didn't make him feel the need to run to Suna for safety. "I just wanted to say…thanks." The girl scratched the back of her head in mild embarrassment at the stupefied look she received in response. "I mean, I'm still a bit upset with you for blowing our cover like that, but I'm kind of glad you were willing to jump in and defend me…even if I didn't really need it."

Naruto was completely flabbergasted as he stared at the older girl. Even if _he_ knew he hadn't jumped in just because she was a girl, which it definitely wasn't since Naruto would rather fight all five Kages with his hands tied than fight a single pissed off female, Naruto was sure the brunette would take offence and get mad at him for helping. Being thanked for it though…that had him at a loss. "Uh, no problem." The boy finally replied, scratching the back of his head and smiling awkwardly. "I hope you still do good on the test even though I kinda messed things up."

Tenten waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. We're not so weak that we'd be at a loss over something like that. We'll just have to beat everybody the old fashioned way. Lee would enjoy that more anyway...So would I for that matter." She finished with a small laugh and a confidential wink.

Naruto grinned foxily and put his hands behind his head. "Sounds good. Good luck with the exams, Bun-chan."

"You to, Naru-chibi." She said with a smile of her own and began to walk down the hall to where the rest of her team was waiting for her. After a few steps though she turned and glared at the boy. "But don't think this means I've forgiven you for yesterday yet. I still have to put a few kunai in you for that."

Naruto paled. "B-but, Bun-chan that wasn't my fault!" He called after the girl who was now pointedly ignoring him. "Buuuun-chaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

X

The hostility in the room could be felt by even the most unobservant of people as Teams 7 and 8 walked through the doors of the examination room. Not that any of them needed any more reason to feel agitated after the talk they'd had with Kakashi and Kurenai in the hallway. Though it was nice of them to say how proud they were that everyone had decided to take the Chuunin exam of their own free will, the part when Kurenai told them that Jagaa had agreed to be the one to inform them of the exam only if he'd be allowed to go drinking afterwards was a little annoying. Especially when she mentioned that thought she heard him mumble something about 'having a little fun'. Kurenai had assumed that it meant he was planning to enjoy his day of drinking, but the six Genin were fully aware of what he had _actually_ meant.

Oh yes. Somehow, they would get him back for that.

So, with already being aggravated with his brother now combined with the hostile feelings permeating the room, Naruto did the only thing he felt appropriate to the situation.

"What the hell are you assholes looking at!?" He yelled hotly as he glared back at everyone in the room. "You got some kinda problem? Cause if you do, then step up! I'll knock your asses out, wake you up, then knock you out again just for shits and giggles!"

The combined members of teams 7 and 8 all sighed and shook their heads in resignation as they watched the boy continue his glaring match with a room full of people. The worst part for all of them was that they could actually see the boy's older brother saying much the same thing in that situation, which meant Naruto was acting exactly like the primary source of his current ire would. Not to say they didn't briefly toy with the idea of telling him that, just to see how he would react.

"Jeez, your still so troublesome, Naruto. Can't you ever just stay quite?"

The sunny-blonde ended his glaring match to turn and grin widely at the new arrivals. "Shikamaru, Chouji, weird guy whose name I can't remember cause we never really talked but I know we were in the same class! How have you all been?"

Shikamaru palmed his forehead his forehead as his teammate raised an eyebrow over his circular glasses at the greeting. "Can you really still be such an idiot? Troublesome blonde."

"My name is Aburame Shino." The other boy said, his voice composed and slightly muffled through the high collar of his grey jacket. "It would do well for you to remember the names of your classmates and allies, Naruto-san."

"Eh…yeah…Sorry about that." The blonde chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. He couldn't be certain since it was hard to read any facial expression through the collar and sunglasses, but Naruto got the distinct impression that he had offended the other boy.

"Anyway, it's good to see you again, Naruto." Chouji said through a mouthful of chips. "We haven't gotten to hang out at all since we got assigned to our teams, have we?"

Naruto frowned. "You know, that's true. I haven't seen either of you since graduation now that I think about it. Maybe we should try to decide on a day that we can all meet up and hang out again. Oh yeah, that reminds me." Naruto turned back to Shikamaru with a smirk. "Nii-san told me to tell you the next time I saw you that you owe him a couple hundred rematches in Shougi. Said he wants to regain his honor."

Shikamaru passed a hand over his eyes. "Tch, your brother can be so troublesome. It's not like he'll ever be able to win anyway if he always uses the same tactic. The only thing he ever does is try to take out my pieces as fast as possible."

Naruto smirked at his lazy friend. "Yeah, well you try telling him that. I bet you he'll-WHAAH!" Naruto's world blurred out of control and the next thing he knew, he was staring at the inverted forms of his friends. "Whoa! What the hell? Why are you all upside down?"

"You're the one who's upside down you dummy!" Ino yelled at him as the rest of the rookie Genin all went into defensive stances.

"Hold on, Naruto! I'm searching for the controller of the sand!" Hinata reported, her Byakugan activated and pulsing madly.

Naruto's thoughts locked on a single word. '_Sand?_' Flexing his stomach so he could see his feet, Naruto was surprised to find that he was indeed being held about a meter in the air by a mass of floating sand. After a few seconds a revelation dawned on him and he grinned widely. "Gaara!" He shouted, twisting his body as best he could to get a look around the room. "Is that you, Gaara?" Naruto's sudden, happy shout made his friends pause as they looked at the boy in confusion.

"Yes. I am here." A stoic voice responded and all eyes snapped to the edge of the crowd where a red headed boy with pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, a large gourd on his back, and a Suna hitai-ate wrapped around the strap that held it had just stepped out from. "It is good to see you again, Naruto."

Naruto grinned, his face starting to look a bit red from being upside down. "Yeah, it's great to see you to, Gaara. I never thought you'd be at the Chuunin Exams too. How have you been? And how are you're brother and sister?"

"You could just try asking us directly." A feminine voice called out and soon an older girl with blonde hair tied up into four ponytails and carrying a large, rectangular metal object was standing next to the levitating boy. A quick glance at her neck revealed that she too was a Suna Ninja.

"Temari-nee-chan!" Naruto yelled happily, his grin becoming wider as he craned his neck to look up at girl.

An amused smirk lit up her face as she spoke. "How have you been, noisy brat?" The girl's arms opened to hug the boy but stopped when she noticed of just where his head would end up if she did. Looking over to her brother, she frowned slightly. "Hey, Gaara, could you…" The red head nodded in response.

"Whoa!" Naruto called out again as he was spun right side up at incredible speed. His body hadn't even fully adjusted to his corrected position when he felt arms wrap around him. Smiling happily, the boy hugged back. "It's good to see you again, Temari-nee-chan."

"You too, kid." The girl smiled warmly, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"So if you and Gaara are here, does that me-GAAH!" Naruto's body spun and once again he found his world inverted. "Would you stop that!?" He yelled, casting a quick glare at Gaara. The answer he got was the smallest trace of a smirk and eyes that lit up in amusement.

"Jeez. You're still so loud." A boy in a black suit with that had cat like ear protrusions on the head with a large wrapped object strapped to his back and beige and purple paint covering his face below his own Suna hitai-ate complained as he walked up to the group.

Naruto stared at the new arrival for a few uncomfortable moments before suddenly pointing accusingly and shouting. "WHO ARE YOU!?"

A vein could almost be seen pulsing under the other boy's hood as he pointed angrily to himself. "It's me, you idiot! Kankuro! Kan-ku-ro!"

"Kankuro?" Naruto repeated uncertainly. "As in Gaara and Temari-nee-chan's brother?" The older boy nodded in confirmation and Naruto once again pointed accusingly. "Why the hell are you wearing makeup?"

Kankuro's expression became a perfect blending of anger and embarrassment as he glared at the inverted blonde. "It's not makeup! It's war paint!

"Liar!" The boy countered as if offended by the statement. "I've used war paint before and not once did I look like a psychotic clown!"

Kankuro sputtered indignantly. "You…you little brat! Just who do you think you're calling a clown?"

"And what's with those stupid cat ears?" Naruto continued, ignoring the other boy. "Are you trying to be a cat as well as a clown? Maybe we should call you the 'Painted Pussy'!"

Several jaws dropped at Naruto's comment and the red in Kankuro's furious face could be seen even through his "war paint". "That's _it_ you little bastard! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Ha! Bring it on 'Kitty Clown'!" Naruto shouted defiantly, holding out his arms and gesturing for Kankuro to come at him, an act that looked rather comical considering his inverted position.

"Knock it off, both of you!" Temari snapped, as she stepped between the dangling Naruto and the fuming Kankuro. "I swear, if I get kicked out of the exam because you two always have to fight whenever you see each other, I'm going to kick both your asses to Suna and back again! Got it?" Both boys paled under the female's deadly gaze and they gave each other a quick glance before mumbling apologies. Satisfied, Temari nodded to both of them. "That's better."

"Okay, that's it!" Kiba shouted, glaring at Naruto and the three Suna Genin. "Would somebody freaking explain what the hell is going on already? Who the hell are these guys, Naruto?"

The inverted blonde blinked several times at his friends before his eyes lit up in understanding and he smacked the end of his fist into his palm. "Oh, that's right. You guys don't know them do you?" Several of Konoha rookies started feeling a bit murderous towards their sunny-blonde friend and two out of three of the Suna nin were shaking their heads in exasperation. "Okay then," Naruto continued grandly, oblivious to their desires to use him as a punching bag. "Starting from the right…uh, or is it left? Kinda hard to tell from here. Anyway, starting from _that_ side, is the youngest brother, Gaara, his older sister, Temari-nee-chan, and the middle sibling, Kankuro. They're from Suna, if you couldn't already tell." The boy then gestured to the Konoha Genin while looking at the three foreign ninja. "Over here we have, Hinata and Kiba, who are both on my team, Shikamaru and Chouji, we hung out a lot during the academy, uh…Shino, who I don't really know that well, then Sakura, Ino, and Teme." Naruto winced in fear when Ino hissed his name warningly. "I mean, Sasuke."

"Nice to meet you all." Temari greeted them all with a smile.

"Yo." Kankuro followed easily while giving them a two finger salute.

Gaara simply nodded his greeting.

The eight Konoha Genin all gave their own greetings in response.

"So, I take it Naruto must have met you all while he was still traveling outside of Konoha." Hinata asked, already knowing the answer but feeling it was a decent way to begin a conversation.

Temari held her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I'd say it was about…four years ago when he first came to Suna. That sound about right?" The girl looked to her younger brother for clarification.

"…Four years, six months, and thirteen days." Gaara corrected in a level tone, surprising most of the listeners with his exact time line.

"Wow, has it really been that long?" Naruto said as he grinned foxily at the red head and put his hands behind his head. "Man, doesn't seem like it, does it?"

"…Indeed." The Suna boy replied, his tone going slightly darker and Naruto somehow managing to miss it.

Temari and Kankuro didn't though, and they each began inching away much to the curiosity of the other Konoha Genin.

"Hey, Gaara, my heads starting to hurt a bit." Naruto said with a half grin, half grimace. "You think you could let me down now?"

"…No."

"Eh?" Naruto gasped out, his eyes bugging slightly.

The stoic boy locked a piercing gaze onto the dangling boy. "You stopped writing."

Naruto paled despite the blood rushing to his head. "Uh, oh, yeah…heh heh…well, you know…I got kind busy when I got back to Konoha and all so…"

Gaara's gaze did not lessen in the slightest at the blonde's weak alibi. "You used to write a letter every month. Then your letters just stopped. I was starting to believe you may have died."

Naruto swallowed nervously and looked pleadingly to Temari and Kankuro who only responded with sympathetic eyes. Well, Temari's were sympathetic. Kankuro looked like he was enjoying himself. After giving Kankuro a halfhearted glare, Naruto turned back to Gaara. "Uh…"

"You failed to continue to write and gave no forewarning that the letters would cease, thereby leading me to believe the worst may have happened." Gaara interrupted before Naruto could think of any kind of defense. "You will be punished." The sand around Naruto's feet started to shift and the blonde's eyes widened as Gaara formed a seal. "Sabaku Tatsumaki!"

"Hey, wait! Can't we talk ab-WHAAAH!" Naruto's scream almost couldn't be heard as he was whipped around at incredible speeds by a large cyclone of sand.

"…Well…Naruto _is_ Gaara's best friend." Temari explained to the stunned Konoha rookies with a slightly embarrassed shrug. "So thinking something may have happened to him had made Gaara pretty concerned. He's just releasing some of that pent up stress. Besides, Naruto can handle it…I think."

The eight rookies could only nod as they watched the blonde and blue blur that was their noisiest comrade.

Suddenly there was a large explosion of smoke in the front of the room as several people appeared. Stepping out from the front of the group, a large man with hitai-ate tied like a bandana over his head and several large scars on his face began to shout. "All right! All of you shut the h-" The man was cut off when a blue blur smashed into the chalk board behind him with a deafening crash. Turning in surprise, he watched as a sunny-blonde boy slowly fell from a human shaped impression and land on the floor to stare blankly up at the ceiling with large swirls in his eyes. "What happened to you?" The man asked the unresponsive boy.

"He is feeling the weight of his sins." A stoic redhead said from the back of the room with a note of vindication.

"Oh lookey." Naruto suddenly said in a dreamy voice as he reached for something in the air. "The spinney world has come back. High spinney world. I missed you. Spinney world. Spinney world. He he he."

The scarred proctor had an unreadable expression as he looked at the boy for a few seconds before shrugging. "Whatever." Tossing what looked like a paper with a number on it onto the boy's prone form he turned to the group behind him. "Someone get him to his seat." One of the Chuunin quickly grabbed the boy up and guided him to a seat in the middle of the class. After three attempts to put the blonde into his chair, since Naruto kept falling off as soon as he was released, the Chuunin took position on the wall along with his fellows.

"I am the first examiner. Morino Ibiki." The scarred man said loudly. "All of you will receive a number and then go to the seat assigned to that number. Once you're seated, we will hand out your tests." The Genin all quickly moved to comply, receiving their numbers and finding their seats in little time as the Chuunin assistants passed out the tests.

"Oh looky. A funny looking scarred man." Naruto called out in a daze and waving at Ibiki. "What are you doing in spinney world, scarred man? Are you here to spin with me? Spinney, spinney, spinney."

Ibiki's left eye twitched slightly. Reaching behind him, he grabbed a book off the desk and hurled it forcefully at the blonde to slam into his forehead with an audible crack.

"OW!" Naruto shouted, coming out of his daze and looking around. "Eh? What happened? How did I get to this seat?" Looking at the desk in front of him, his eyes widened at the piece of paper he saw there. "Gaah! What the hell? Not a paper test! Anything but a paper test! NOOOOOOOO!"

In various parts of the room, nine Konoha Genin and three Suna Genin all sweat dropped.

X

Yep he was screwed.

That's all Naruto could think as he stared blankly down at his test. There was no way in the nine hells that he would be able to answer any of these questions. He had enough trouble with the tests at the academy and apparently he had actually _known_ those answers, even if he hadn't quite realized he'd known them. But these…there was nothing. Not even the slightest inkling of understanding that he could even misinterpret to get the wrong answer anyway. Nothing. He was totally, completely, up shit's creek without a paddle and coming up on a giant water fall with sharp pointy rocks at the bottom ready to turn him into Naruto-burger, _screwed_.

However, there was one last grasp at desperation that might save him, no matter what the risks might be. And that was to cheat. Naruto was thanking all the gods that might possibly exist that you wouldn't be kicked out immediately if he was caught. In fact, he could actually get caught four times without being kicked out. Of course, if he was caught a fifth time…but that wasn't worth worrying about right now. Oh, then there was that tenth question that wouldn't be revealed until forty-five minutes had passed…but again, not worth worrying about right now. What he needed to worry about was exactly _how _he was going to manage pulling off cheating at all. As much as he didn't want to admit it, subtlety outside of setting up his pranks was definitely not one of his strong points. There wasn't a single thing he could think of that would let him be sneaky enough to get the answers he needed without being caught. Not in this situation anyway.

'_Damn it._' The boy ranted internally. '_Why haven't I ever asked Nii-san or Kakashi-sensei what it takes to be sneaky in a place like this? If I just had time to do some planning I'd be all right, but I can't exactly slip under tables or crawl around in the roof if they already know I'm here and are watching me! How am I supposed to cheat without being seen?_'

For a brief moment, he wondered how Kiba and Hinata were doing. He really wasn't all that worried about them getting the answers they needed, not with Hinata's byakugan and Akamaru to do some spy work for Kiba, but he was also certain that neither of them would be able to help him out. He had caught a quick glance of them before the test had started and he knew they were too far away to get any answers to him without being caught and all the rest of his friends had their own teams to worry about, so he knew they wouldn't be helping him any time soon either.

Naruto bit on his knuckle and closed his eyes in concentration. There had to be some way for him to get his answers without being caught, but how? How?

/Flashback/

"_So tell me, Naruto. Do you think that you're pretty sneaky?" Jagaa asked, his arms crossed in front of him as he stared down at the boy._

_Naruto paused to consider the question and then a smile lit up his eight year old face. "Sure am. I've played some great pranks on Jiji and the lady at the orphanage and a whole lot of other people and I was almost never caught." The little boy closed his eyes and puffed out his chest proudly as he finished his boast._

"_Hmm, so you're pretty good eh?" Jagaa said with a smile, receiving a confident nod in response. "Okay then, I have a question for you." Naruto opened his eyes again to stare curiously up at his sensei. "First, take a look around us. What do you see?"_

_Not quite understanding but guessing there was probably a reason for it, Naruto complied and let slowly turned his head left and right as his eyes roamed the area. Finally he turned back to back to his sensei and gave a small shrug. "We're in a large grassy field. So what?"_

_The scarred man smirked a bit. "All right, sneaky boy, here's the question. Let's say that you were on a mission to infiltrate another country. You've made sure to take off anything that can identify you to a certain village, but it still has to be conducted in absolute secrecy and you're supposed to try not to let anyone see you. Somehow you ended up in a field just like this one and a ways ahead of you is a civilian of the country you are infiltrating. He's examining something off to the side and hasn't seen you yet but he's not close enough to make out any clear details about what you look like even if he did. Running away is an option, but that would catch his attention and possibly make him suspicious enough to report it, which could jeopardize your entire mission. So, what will you do?"_

"_Eh? What kind of question is that, sensei? I'd just hide really fast and then…" The little boy trailed off as he realized that there was nowhere he could actually hide in the open field. There were no trees, no bushes, no ponds, not even tall enough grass. Just an open field. Desperately the little boy struggled for some kind of solution so that he wouldn't disappoint his sensei, but nothing would come. Finally, the little boy sighed. "I don't know." He admitted glumly._

"_That's okay, brat. I wasn't really expecting you to come up with an answer yet." Jagaa said as he ruffled the boy's hair. "It's just something for you to think about for the future."_

_Naruto giggled and pushed the teen's hand off his head then looked at him curiously. "So what would you do, Jagaa-sensei?"_

"_Me?" The scarred man said thoughtfully before giving the boy a wide smile. "I'd walk right up to them and say hello."_

/Flashback end/

Naruto's eyes snapped open. '_That's it!_' The boy thought in excitement. '_I've been looking at this all wrong._' Naruto was cautious as he glanced around the room to survey it. '_Since there's no way I can get the answers by being sneaky…what if instead I do something ridiculously obvious? Something that will distract _everyone_ and give me a chance to steal some answers._' Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought. The idea could work, but what could he do that would distract everyone to enough of an extent that he'd be able to grab another answer sheet or something. The blonde's eyes lit up as he remembered a certain incident from the day before, one he was sure his older brother would rather forget, and he grinned wickedly. '_Well, if this doesn't cause some chaos, I'm not sure what else will._' Naruto made a cross shaped seal under his desk and concentrated hard on his plan so that his clones would know what to do and breathed out in a whisper that even Akamaru would have trouble hearing. "Kagebunshin no Justu."

Shouts of alarm and confusion sounded as the exam room was suddenly filled with the distinct popping sounds and bursts of smoke from the creation of Naruto's clones, but before the smoke could clear and allow the true form of the clones creator to be revealed, there was another round of smoke bursting forth as the clones performed a henge.

As the smoke cleared, all eyes went wide in utter incredulity at the sight of the room filled with beautiful, busty, and _naked_ women all sporting a different height, skin tone, hair color, and hair style while calling and gesturing seductively. It didn't take long for the room to descend into utter chaos as males passed out and females screamed out in shock and indignation, some even bashing several of the openly gaping males over the head for their blatant staring.

Naruto chuckled at the overwhelming success of his newest technique, Oiroki no Jutsu: _Mugen Yokubou_. He'd mentally prepped his clones to change into as wide a variety of women as possible so that nothing would be available to limit the possibilities of who had done the technique, such as the sunny-blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks that his standard Naruko version still retained…which was probably why he was discovered so easily when he tried to take Konohamaru into the hotsprings that day, now that he thought about it…But that was just one more thing that wasn't important right now. Right now, he had some answers to steal.

Ibiki's eyes roved around the chaotic room as a scarcely visible smirk graced his lips. There was always one. Someone who had no stealth skills for a situation like this and would end up trying something drastic to divert attention. In the past, he had seen things such as smoke screens throughout the room, fires being started to cause panic, or something just as simple as acting like they were in a fury and glancing at answers around them while simultaneously swearing angrily at him. Filling the entire hall up with beautiful, naked women though, that was something new entirely. Ibiki chuckled a bit as the pandemonium continued and watched as his Chuunin assistants, mostly the few females seeing as nearly all the males were lying in pools their own nose released blood, tried to bring some sort of order to the chaos and he idly mused on how this technique might be applicable to interrogation.

'_I'll kill him_.' That was the only thing on Sasuke's mind as he stared at the figure before him. He _knew_ who was behind this. He just _knew_. Why did he know? That answer lay in the form of the naked female prancing around in front of him that he was absolutely certain was supposed to be a female version of _him_, if the dark eyes, pale skin, and far too similar hairstyle was any clue. The fact that the female was also acting like a complete ditz and giggling stupidly while prancing around and winking at him was just adding insult to insult, and there was only one person…well two, but the other one wasn't here, that would so openly mock him like that. Yes, he was going to kill that moronic blonde and he was going to enjoy it.

A little way in front of the Uchiha, a certain Inuzuka was having similar thoughts of murdering the moronic blonde. Only his reasons had to do with some unnerving similarities to certain female relative he was seeing in the girl dancing in front of him.

'_Eww, I kept one with blood on it._' Naruto cringed as he pinched a top corner of the paper between his finger and thumb, disregarding the chill that had just run down his spine as disgust of the red liquid. As an afterthought to his plan the boy had decided to try clearing out some of the competition by stealing not only one, but several people's answer sheets and the quickly throw all but one into the trash. Unfortunately, because of his hurry to get rid of the evidence without being caught, he hadn't gotten that good a look at the one he had held on to. Hence his current desire to gag a little bit. Reluctantly convincing himself that a bloody paper was better because it made it look like he had suffered from the technique as well, he decided it was time to end the chaos and get back to passing the exam, and as suddenly as they had filled the room, the henged clones all disappeared with bursts of smoke and the chaos of the room almost immediately began to calm. Well, except for a few outbursts of disappointment.

"All right! Everyone get your asses back to your seats!" Ibiki yelled at the Genin which he followed up by turning and yelling to his still conscious assistants while pointing to the unconscious ones. "And wake those idiots up!"

"H-hey!" A voice called out in alarm. "My test is gone!"

"What? Yours too?"

"What the hell? Where'd my test go!"

"Someone stole my test!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ibiki snarled, instantly casting the room into terrified silence. His voice going back to its normal, stern and dangerous tone, the scarred man glared around the room. "Anyone who has had their test stolen automatically fails along with their team. So get out of my testing hall."

"W-what the fuck!?" A Konoha genin in black glasses wearing purple with his face half covered yelled out. "Why are we being kicked out for someone stealing our tests?"

The genin shrank back when the Ibiki's eyes focused on him with murderous intensity. "The fact that your test was stolen just shows that you were affected by the recent technique enough to lose track of your surroundings. If this had been a mission and your paper and important document, then you would have failed the mission in the same way you're failing now. Only then it may have cost you your life or the lives of your teammates, if not the lives of hundreds of villagers and shinobi alike, depending on what the information was that was stolen from you." The man let out an impressive amount of killing intent, cowing many other protesters. "Take that lesson with you as you leave. Now, get out."

Naruto felt a little guilty as he watched the downtrodden faces of the genin that were being made to leave…well with the exception of that silver haired guy with the glasses. Something about the way that guy had looked at him had sent shivers down Naruto's spine. Still, he hadn't realized that his clones must have had the same idea about stealing answer sheets. Not that he should really be surprised though seeing as they must think like him since, essentially, they _were_ him. In fact, they must really think alike because he could almost swear he remembered taking each individual paper, not to mention he kept getting a wonderful mental picture of Sasuke looking about ready to blow a vein, always a nice accomplishment, but he decided that it must just be his imagination.

"As for the rest of you who are still here," Ibiki cut into Naruto's thoughts. "Forty-five minutes have passed, which means your time is up and I will now be giving the tenth question. However," The scarred man smirked in amusement. "There will be a couple new rules."

"What the hell!? There are more rules" Kiba shouted as he stood up from his seat and slammed his hands on the desk. "Just hurry up and give us the damned question already!"

Ibiki glared at Kiba in a way that had the young Inuzuka wishing he could just fade away into non-existence. "I suggest you shut up and listen, unless you would prefer to fail along with your team this instant." Kiba gulped and silently sunk into his chair.

The scarred man eyed the boy for another moment before grunting. "Good. Now listen up. The first rule I'm going to give you is a 'Deadman's' rule. You are going to have to choose whether or not you will take the tenth question. However, if you should choose not to, then your points will be automatically reduced to zero and you, along with your teammates, will immediately fail."

"What the hell kind of rule is that." Kankuro shouted. "If that's the case then it's obvious we'd all chose to take it."

"Oh? Is that so?" Ibiki smirked. "But you didn't let me finish. There's one more rule." Gasps of protest could be heard through the room but Ibiki ignored them and continued. "That rule is, should you choose to take the final question and get it wrong, then…" The man's smirk became sadistic. "You will never again have the privilege to participate in the Chuunin Exam."

Shouts of alarm and outrage shook the window panes at the end of Ibiki's announcement. But those shouts quickly faded away into a fearful silence when they saw the man break into a loud maniacal laugh. "You all were unlucky this year. Because this year, _I _am the law."

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF-!" There was a loud slam as Naruto's forehead connected solidly with the desk before he shot from his seat and pointed at Ibiki. "What the hell is your problem, asshole! I've had a hard enough time with the rest of this test, and now you're throwing this shit at me! What the _fuck_!"

The Jounin tilted his head in amusement as he looked at the pissed off boy. "That's why I gave you the option of not taking the final question. You may lose the chance this year, but there will always be next year, or the year after that." His eyebrow raised in mocking curiosity. "So, what will you do?"

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do! I'm gonna take the stupid question!" Naruto shouted defiantly. "If I fail, then I'll just become the strongest Genin in history! Then, I'll come back and kick your bastard ass around Konoha! And after that I'll become the Hokage and you'll be taking _orders_ from the Genin who kicked your bastard ass around Konoha!"

Ibiki blinked a couple times in repressed amazement as the boy's eyes drilled into him. "So I'd assume it's safe to say you won't be dropping out then?"

"I won't go back on my word. That's _my_ nindou."

Ibiki let out a small snort and moved his attention from the blonde to the remaining examinees. Some of them were looking highly amused, some confident, and a few of the females seemed to have sported little hearts in their eyes as they looked at the defiant boy. The one thing that wasn't there…was doubt. "So no one will quit then?" He asked just to see if he could catch anyone who might still be unsure. There was no one.

'_To think the final part of the test would be over before it even began. I'm not sure if I should be angry or impressed._' His eyes roved the room one more time. '_Well, at least who ever used that chaotic technique earlier got rid of a decent amount of examinees._' With a shrug of his shoulders, Ibiki called out nonchalantly. "Then it would seem that everyone in this room…Passes."

Ibiki had to force himself not to laugh at the stunned silence that permeated the room. Ah, the joys of

screwing with people's minds.

"WHAT!?" The synchronized shout finally came followed by a lone female voice. "What about the last question."

"There isn't one." Ibiki replied easily. "Or rather, the decision to take the test or not _was_ the final question." Ibiki's eyes became serious as he looked over the Genin. "Becoming a Chuunin also means becoming a team leader, and there will be times when you have to face difficult choices. Just because the consequences for failure could be high, even fatal, you cannot abandon a mission. You have to move forward and complete the mission despite the risks. That is what it means to be a Shinobi. That is what the last question was _supposed_ to teach you." There was a distinct note of disgruntlement in the Jounin's voice at the end of his speech.

"Then what about the rest of the test?" Someone asked. "There was no point to it!"

"Of course there was a point." Ibiki almost spat at the impudent Genin. "One of a Shinobi's greatest assets is their ability to gather crucial information without detection. If you don't even have the skills to manage that, then you don't have the right to be a Shinobi." The scarred man took a deep breath before continuing and reached towards his head, but before any more words could leave his mouth he was interrupted by a wave of killing intent. Blinking a couple times in surprise, he focused on the source only to find himself staring at the same blonde boy that had ruined his test in the first place. "Is there a problem?"

"There is." Naruto growled in a low, steady voice and raised his sheet of paper. "You just said…that this test…was _worthless_."

Ibiki's eyes narrowed. "I just told you, the test was designed-"

"That's not what I mean." The boy cut him off, his fist tightening on the paper clenched in his hand. "From what you just said, someone could have just sat here without even _looking_ at their test…but still passed as long as they had the courage to take the last question. Am I right?"

If everyone's attention hadn't been focused on Naruto, they would have seen a pair of bodies stealthily moving towards the glaring boy.

Ibiki's eyebrow rose slightly at the boy's conclusion. "Well, I suppose that is true enough." The next thing Ibiki knew, he was blinking in surprise yet again as he watched a furious blonde being restrained by a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka.

"Let me go! Let me _go_! I'm gonna shove this fucking test straight up his _ass_!"

"Calm down, Naruto!" Kiba shouted as he tried to hold the other boy back. "You want to get us kicked out of the exam after we just passed!?" Naruto was too far gone to hear his friends reasoning and continued struggling like a mad man to get to Ibiki.

"Kiba, move!" Hinata ordered, her Byakugan flaring to life and her hands glowing with chakra. The Inuzuka wasted no time obeying and let his blonde teammate go. As the now freed boy made to leap at the Jounin, Hinata's hands blurred with motion, striking the Naruto several times in rapid succession.

"Gaaah!" Naruto dropped onto the table like a sack of flour and was soon struggling vainly to move. "Damnit, Hinata, no fair going for the Tenketsu!"

"It's your own fault for letting your emotions control you all the time." Hinata replied airily before turning to the Jounin examiner and bowed. "My apologies, Morino-san. My teammate is…shall we say… less than fond of paper tests."

"…I see." Ibiki replied with a simple shrug, secretly pleased that the first part of the test had put the boy through that much mental and emotional turmoil, seeing as how the same boy had completely ruined the last part of the test. Not the scarred Jounin was actually holding it against him. Ibiki actually found the hyperactive blonde to be extremely interesting…not to mention entertaining.

'_Still…_' Ibiki frowned lightly and looked up to the clock behind him as the Hyuuga girl started giving the blonde his ability to move back. There was about ten minutes left until the test was scheduled to be over and another five after that until Anko was supposed to arrive. Now that his plan to push the Genins' anxiety to the absolute limit was no longer available, the head of interrogation had no real plans on how to pass the remaining time. There was always the option of telling a few stories of his own Genin days…nope, definitely not. A faint sigh managed to work its way out and he looked back up to the clock. '_It'd be nice if she were to show up early on accident._' No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, Ibiki heard what sounded like someone shouting outside. His instincts kicking in, his head snapped towards the nearest window just in time to see two large black objects come crashing into the room accompanied by a symphony of shattering glass.

As the first object crashed to the floor with an audible grunt and a curse, the second started to unfurl and expand. With four nearly simultaneous 'thuds' from kunai impacting both the ceiling and the floor later, a plum haired woman in a brown trench coat stood proudly in front of a cloth banner that read, 'Sexy Second Examiner that you'll never be able to have, so there! Mitarashi Anko!'

"No time to feel excited you damn bastards!" Anko declared, thrusting her fishnet covered breasts forward. "The examiners for the second exam have arrived!"

Ibiki blinked a couple times from behind the black cloth that had sprung up in front of him before turning back to the clock he had been staring at earlier. '_It'd be nice if I could get a month paid vacation…and maybe some new interrogation equipment._'

"Damn it, Anko! I'm not a fucking examiner!" All who knew him jolted in surprise at the familiar voice and gawked as Jagaa pulled himself off the floor, angrily brushing off glass as he did so.

"Ah! It's Jagaa-san!" Temari suddenly shouted in pleasant surprise. "Hello, Jagaa-san!"

Jagaa looked out over the assembled Genin for a few moments before he smiled and waved in response. "Oh, well if it isn't the Suna siblings. Didn't expect to see you here. We'll have to chat later."

"You're not an examiner?" Anko cut them off in confusion. "Then why were we hanging out together today?"

Jagaa turned back to the snake summoner and his brow furrowed in irritation. "_I_ was relaxing at a bar and enjoying my completely 'Brat Free' day and you just happened to run into me there. Then, after we had a couple drinks together, you suddenly screamed 'We're late' and dragged me out of the bar, halfway across the village, and _threw me through a fucking window_!" There was a very distinctive vein appearing on the man's forehead by the time he had finished his explanation.

"…Oh." Anko had the decency to look a bit embarrassed for all of five seconds before scratching the back of her head and grinning. "Well, since you're here anyway, want to be an examiner with me?"

"An-ko-chaaaannnn…" Jagaa growled ominously.

"Aww, you know you love me." Anko said in a cutesy voice while clasping her hands below her waist and nudging her shoulder into his chest demurely.

"I think what I find most amusing about all this," Ibiki interrupted with a smirk, indicating the clock behind him with a jerk of his thumb. "Is that, not only are you not late, you were actually ten minutes early." The interrogator decided not to mention that he'd actually been hoping she would be.

"What!?" Anko's face snapped towards the clock. "You gotta freaking be kidding me! You mean I panicked over nothing!?" The woman's tone was nothing if not disgusted.

"Not to mention, threw an innocent bystander through a _window_ over nothing." It was becoming clear just what it was that Jagaa had taken offense to the most out of Anko's actions.

"Hah! There's nothing innocent about you, Nii-san." Naruto called out in a condemning manner.

The man turned to his little brother and quirked an eyebrow. "Says the dirty little boy who asks girls lewd questions in the middle of a crowded street."

Naruto's face turned bright red. "THAT WAS _YOUR_ FAULT!" He screamed in anger and embarrassment that was fueled even further by the chocolate brown eyes he could feel burning into his back. "I don't even know what I actually asked her to let me do! I just asked what you told me to ask!"

"Well then that's what you get for listening to me in the first place." Jagaa responded matter-of-factly. "I thought you'd have learned by now." Unfortunately for the smirking man, he didn't notice the pure murder that lit up inside a certain bun-haired girl's eyes.

"Okay, getting back to the original topic." Anko said with a clap of her hands and uncharacteristic professionalism. "The second exam will be starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow. So make sure you ask your Jounin sensei about the location. Understood?" She scanned around the room in search of anyone may have not been paying attention then nodded in satisfaction at not finding any. "Good. And now that that's settled…" The woman rounded on Naruto with a hungry gleam in and launched herself towards the hapless boy. "NARU-CHAAAAN!"

Naruto's terrified scream had only just begun to leave his mouth when Jagaa's right hand shot out and grabbed the collar of Anko's trench coat, bringing her to a dead stop with a pained "Guueeeh!" and dropping her to the floor. Wincing and rubbing her sore rear, Anko tilted her head back to look up at the man who'd stopped her and pouted. "What was that for, Jagaa-chan?"

"Sorry, Anko-chan." Jagaa said with a hint amusement. "But I can't let you molest Naruto today."

"Huh? But…but why?" The genuine shock on the woman's face would have been quite comical if the onlookers weren't still trying to work through the strangeness of the whole situation.

"Geezer's orders." The man said with a shrug. "He said, and I quote, Under no circumstances is Anko to be allowed to interfere with Naruto's exam or she will be doing D rank missions for the next 3 months. End quote."

"B-but…i-it'll be okay as long as he doesn't find out, right?" The woman pleaded grabbing onto the man's leg. "I bet I could even handle D rank missions if I have to…maybe."

Jagaa cleared his throat. "Quote. And if I find out you allowed her too when you could have prevented it, I will make you my personal assistant for the next _year_! End quote."

Anko's eyes widened to impossible proportions and filled with glistening tears as she hit Jagaa with a devastating puppy eyes attack. "Jagaa-chan…are you saying you wouldn't sacrifice yourself so that I could molest your little brother?" She asked in a heartbroken voice.

Jagaa winced visibly but managed to keep his voice steady. "Sorry, Anko-chan, but I have to draw the line somewhere."

"WHAAAH! JAGAA-CHAN IS A MEANIE!" Covering her eyes with her forearm Anko rushed to the side of the room and broke through yet another window in her dismayed escape.

'_She could have at least gone out the one she'd already broken?_' Ibiki thought to himself as he stared at the newest damage to the classroom.

Several moments of silence passed as everyone stared at the second window to be broken while thinking about the somewhat mentally unstable woman that had done the breaking. Finally though, Naruto was able to break the tension when he turned to his older brother. "Uh…thanks for stopping her, Nii-san." He said in a somewhat grudging manner seeing as he still hadn't quite forgiven the man for all the pranks he played on him the last few days.

"Don't thank me." The man said with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "It was for purely selfish reasons that I stopped her. I just wanted to get her back for _that_." He jerked his thumb towards the broken window.

"Just wanted to get her…" Naruto's eyes widened in realization. "Wait! Then everything that you just said Jiji said…"

"Made it up." Jagaa grinned at the stunned looks he was receiving. "I'm actually quite proud of myself for being able to come up with something on the spot that sounded like something the geezer would say. I guess all those times of being lectured by him finally paid off." The older blonde patted the younger on the shoulder in a friendly matter. "And look at it this way. Since she doesn't know I made it up, you can still use it to save your ass tomorrow if she tries anything. Ain't I such a good big bro?"

"Oh, yeah." Naruto said with a sarcastic drawl as he pushed his brother's hand from his shoulder. "Such a good Nii-san that you throw weird stuff on your otouto that makes every girl in town try to hunt him down."

"Oh, speaking of that. How did you get away, exactly?" Jagaa asked with a curious tilt of his head. "I was certain that you'd come home crying about not being able to get married or something."

Naruto glared at the older man. "With a whole lot of Kagebunshin, a lot more running, kawarimi or two, and every stealth technique I knew. All thanks to you, you bastard. I even had nightmares last night about actually being caught by some of them."

"Jeeze, you're such a little girl." Jagaa said with a shake of his head. "If I hadn't seen that monster you're packin myself, I'd be starting to wonder if I should actually be calling you imouto instead of otouto."

Naruto blushed heavily and instinctively covered the area Jagaa was referring to. The stares he could feel on his back weren't doing much to curb his embarrassment either. The young blonde was searching his mind for some sort of retort he could use when four very distinct and _very_ angry young girls came up from the side and locked their deadly gazes on the oldest of the two brothers.

"Hello, Jagaa-san." Hinata said with a sweet smile. "Ino-san, Sakura-san, and I were hoping we might be able to have a…talk…with you about that incident you were just discussing with Naruto. Not to mention a similar even that happened several months ago. Weren't we ladies?" Hinata faced each girl in turn who both wore the same sweet smile as the Hyuuga heiress as they nodded.

"And I," Tenten cut in, her own smile lighting up her feature. "Was hoping to speak with you about another incident you seem to have had a hand in, Jagaa-nii-san. One involving a certain question you got a certain someone to ask me."

The room fell into silence as the girls' tone froze the blood of everyone who witnessed the exchange. They may not have known who these girls were, but one thing was certain. There was going to be a murder.

Jagaa's expression remained neutral, his gaze never wavering as he examined the four smiling girls. Then he suddenly raised his left arm and looked down at an imaginary watch and spoke hastily. "Oh would you look at the time! Gotta go girls! See ya!" Before they even had a chance to fully process what he had said, Jagaa's exit was accompanied by yet another chorus of shattering glass.

"GET BACK HERE!" Four simultaneous shrieks pierced the air of the classroom as the girls bolted after the fleeing man.

'_I thought he didn't like to go through closed windows?_' Ibiki questioned to himself as he idly watched the four furious teenage girls leap through the same window in pursuit.

"Heh. Serves him right." Naruto smirked as he imagined what the girls would do to his older brother if they got their hands on him. Not that he really believed they would, but it was nice to imagine. Unfortunately, Naruto's happy images of Jagaa being beaten into a bloody mess were brought to a screeching halt when a mass of killing intent appeared directly behind him. Slowly turning his head, Naruto found himself staring at a pair of activated two tomoe Sharingan as well as the beastlike eyes of a certain Inuzuka. "Uh…what's up?" Naruto asked nervously.

"You…made one look like Hana." Kiba growled his hands flexing like claws.

"You made one look like _me_!" Sasuke snarled, his Sharingan beginning to spin slowly.

Naruto gave the responses a moment to mull into his mind. That really did sound like something he would do, and therefore his clones would do. Hell, he could almost swear he remembered doing it. Still, that was something to laugh about later. Right now, his life was at stake. Mirroring his brother perfectly, Naruto looked at his own wrist. "Oh, would you look at the time! Gotta go!" The blonde said before bolting. Kiba and Sasuke were only a step behind as the three of them destroyed yet another window.

"We can't let them kill Naruto." Gaara's stoic voice held only the slightest hint of anxiousness before a fifth window was sent to the place that all dead windows go.

"Wasn't _he_ the one who did _that_?" Kankuro questioned in confusion as he pointed to the Naruto shaped indent in the front of the class.

"Don't argue logic with Gaara." Temari sighed as she grabbed the back of her brother's cloths. "Let's just make sure he doesn't kill anyone." Without waiting for a response, the sandy-blonde drug her second sibling out the same window the youngest one had just annihilated.

Ibiki stared after the final exit-ees for several moments before calmly turning his attention back to the stunned room. "Well, you all heard didn't you? You'll need to check with your Jounin instructors about the meeting place tomorrow. Now get out of my class room." Still too stunned to reply, the remaining Genin began filing silently out of the classroom. Once they were gone, the scarred head of interrogation let out a disgruntled sigh. "This has to be the strangest Chuunin exam I've ever seen or heard of." His gaze drifted over to the five demolished windows in turn and his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I am _not_ paying for those."

X

Even those who had only seen Anko for those five minutes or so the day before could tell that the plum haired woman seemed to be in a state of mild depression as she grudgingly explained the rules for the second exam. Just as it was easy to realize just what was causing the woman's downtrodden attitude as she continuously cast partly longing, partly hungry gazes at a certain blonde haired, blue eyed boy.

Said object of desire was currently cowering behind his five female friends and showed no intentions of stopping until the test was officially underway. Ino, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, and Temari weren't exactly sure how they had all been gathered into a defensive wall so effectively and without their consent, but there was something about seeing the normally confident and hyperactive boy trembling like a leaf that tugged at their heartstrings, or possibly maternal instincts, and wouldn't allow them to leave him defenseless. This, it seemed, had only worsened Anko's mood because now she wouldn't even be able to spirit the boy away for a little fun before the test without someone raising the alarm.

"So just sign the damn forms and take a damn scroll." The disgruntled woman growled in conclusion to her short explanation of the requirements of the test. "Then be at your designated gates by 0930. Any questions from anyone who was too stupid to understand?" Even if they had a question, the woman's phrasing halted any desires they might have to ask them. So with a single snort of annoyance, the snake summoner stalked off in a huff.

The five genin females acting as Naruto's bodyguards watched the woman until they were relatively certain that the slightly psychotic Special Jounin wasn't about to try anything funny before collectively turning to the blonde cowering behind them. "Okay, Naruto, she's gone. It's safe now." Hinata said with only the smallest trace of annoyance at her teammate's present state.

"Is…is she really?" Naruto asked in a small voice as he crouched down with his arms encompassing his head defensively.

"Yeah, it's okay, Naruto." Sakura said gently, rubbing the boy's back in a reassuring manner. "She's definitely not going to try anything today."

"It's just…so scary." Naruto mumbled, slowly unwrapping his arms from his head and gazing up at his five 'Guardian Angles'. "I can feel her watching me, stalking me. It's like she's always there. Waiting for a chance to drag me into a dark room and do unspeakable things to me." The boy covered his head again and began mumbling incoherently as 'terrible' images assaulted his imagination.

Off to the side, going mostly unnoticed, Kiba was being restrained by a cocoon of sand as he desperately tried to get to Naruto and beat the blonde to death in a jealous rage.

It was that moment that Uchiha Sasuke came walking up to the five Kunoichi, seeing as two of them were on his team, while patting his weapons pouch. "I've got the scroll for our team." He told them in a bored tone before shifting his eyes to the muttering boy behind them. "Are you still cowering from that examiner, moron?"

"I'm _not_ cowering!" Naruto snapped back instantly, his near instinctual need to argue with Sasuke almost completely overriding his fear of Anko. "I'm just…working on my new jutsu."

Sasuke raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And just what jutsu would that be."

"The 'Pleas Kami Don't Let Her Get Me' no jutsu." Naruto declared with only the slightest quiver of fear in his voice.

"…That would be cowering, Moron." The Uchiha deadpanned.

"Shove it up the duck's ass on your head, Teme!" The whiskered boy growled.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as they locked onto Naruto's and those around them began slowly backing away from the fight that was very likely to start. However, instead Sasuke's eyes shifted slightly to the left, looking over Naruto's shoulder, and widened. "Isn't that her coming back now?"

"DON'T LET HER GET ME NO JUTSU!" Naruto screamed, diving behind Temari clutching to the older girls legs like a terrified child.

"Like I said," Sasuke said with a victorious smirk. "Cowering."

It took a few seconds before Naruto realized that he'd been had, but once he did, the glare he directed at the Uchiha could have made a jounin crap himself. "I. Hate. You!" If possible, Sasuke's smirk became even more pleased.

"If you two are done." Hinata interrupted. Her left hand was holding the collar of Kiba's jacket in order to restrain the still jealous Inuzuka, as she had promised Gaara she would so that the boy would release her teammate, and her right indicted her weapons pouch. "I have our team's scroll and it's time to move to our designated gate."

Naruto grudgingly nodded and got up from his place on the ground. Wishing a quick good luck to the Suna siblings, Tenten's team, Ino, and Sakura, Naruto made to follow his already leaving team when Sasuke stepped into his path again. "What do you want, Teme?" The blonde asked suspiciously.

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment, his eyes once again locked onto Naruto's, before speaking in a low, challenging tone. "Don't forget, Moron. I'm the only one that's allowed to beat you."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly but quickly narrowed again. At first, Naruto made no comment, instead quietly moving to pass the raven haired boy. However, as soon as he drew level with Sasuke's side, he stopped and smiled confidently. "You better not go losing to anyone else either, Teme. I'm the one who's gonna kick your sorry ass." He didn't even need to see the smirk that came to the other boy's face to know what it meant, and without another word, the Uchiha and the Uzumaki made their way to the gates that their teams were waiting for them.

X

"So, what's the plan?" Kiba asked as soon as Team 8 came to a rest about ten minutes after entering their starting gate.

"Find another team, kick their asses, take their scroll, get to the tower, and call it a day." Naruto said with a grin. Kiba and Hinata simply shook their heads at their blonde teammate before Hinata spoke her own thoughts.

"I believe we should split up for now and scout the area. With my byakugan and Kiba and Akamaru's noses, we should be able to be able to get a fair understanding of our surroundings and enemy situation in order to plan a workable strategy." She glanced between her two teammates, getting a nod from Kiba and a pout from Naruto.

"I like my plan better." He muttered. "Besides, I don't have a super cool and useful scouting technique." Suddenly the boy's eyes brightened. "So…what if we run into another team? Would it be okay to-"

"Naruto…" Hinata growled warningly, knowing exactly what the boy wanted to ask.

"Tch, fine." The sunny-blonde huffed. "Scouting takes priority. Got it."

The Hyuuga heiress shook her head in mild exasperation but continued unperturbed. "Good. Now, we'll meet back here in…one hour. Any questions?" The two males shook their heads and Hinata nodded in satisfaction.

Just before the three of them were about to split away from each other, a voice sounded from the tree tops. "Actually, Hinata-sama, we were wondering if you might allow us to join you?" Three shadows leapt from the foliage and landed several meters away in a crouch but were quickly identifiable as they rose to standing positions. "Since it seems your plan coincides with ours, it would be beneficial for both our teams to form an alliance, I believe." Neji finished calmly, Tenten flanking his right and Lee on his left who both nodded in agreement.

Hinata's eyes narrowed on her cousin. "What are you doing here, Neji-nii-san?"

The male Hyuuga shrugged lightly as he spoke. "We just happened to follow a path that intersected with yours, Hinata-sama."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?!" Hinata's question bordered on a snarl.

"Whoa! Calm down, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said quickly and placed a restraining hand on the girl's shoulder. "They aren't here for a fight if that's what you're worried about."

For a moment it looked as if Hinata was going to snap at the blonde but she quickly schooled her features and took a calming breath. "How can you be so sure you sure of that?"

"If there's one thing my time with Nii-san has taught me, it's how to read hostile intentions." The boy shivered momentarily before continuing. "Anyway, they don't have any."

"Of course not!" Lee declared, holding his right fist in front of him and fire lighting up his eyes. "It would be most unyouthfull to try to approach our fellow Konoha Genin under false pretenses! And we must always follow the path of youth!"

Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata observed the boy as he started throwing punches into empty air while yelling about youth. Finally, Naruto turned to Hinata again. "…He's definitely crazy, but not hostile."

"I'm surprised you even know what hostile means." Kiba smirked at the blonde.

"Shut it, sis-con!"

Neji cleared his throat loudly, cutting off the argument/all out brawl that was about to take place. "If we have an agreement on allying ourselves, it would be prudent that begin scouting the area as you were speaking of doing earlier."

"I agree." Hinata said calmly as her two teammates grudgingly stepped away from each other. "And seeing as there are six of us now, we should break in to teams of two. I recommend…Kiba and Lee, Naruto and Tenten, and then Neji and myself." The Hyuuga heiress was pleased to see nearly ever body nod in consent, but that quickly turned to dismay when Naruto, in another of those dreaded moments where he just _had_ to display some intelligence, raised his hand.

"Uh, Hinata-chan, wouldn't it be better if you and that guy went with different people." The sunny-blonde asked thoughtfully. "I mean, sending Dog Breath with Bushy Brow is all good since one is a scout type and the other is a combat type, but neither me or Bun-chan are really scout types. So shouldn't, I don't know, I go with him and you go with Bun-chan? That way we have a scout type in…each… pair." Even before he finished, Naruto had started to realize he may have said something he shouldn't have said. The first clue had been the slight trace of alarm that had entered his female teammate's features when he started talking. After that, her face had slowly gone stony as he made his opinion known. Now those had been decent clues in themselves, but that wasn't what tipped him off. No, it was when Hinata's eyes lit up in a manner disturbingly similar to the day that he found her spying on Kiba that he knew it was time to run or die.

"So me and Bun-chan, right? Okay, we'll be going now!" The words had only barely left his mouth before he had grabbed Tenten by the wrist and started dragging her off as fast as he could.

"Hey, that hurts!" The older girl screamed in protest. "What the hell are you doing, Chibi!?"

"Less talking, more running!" Naruto shouted, not even bothering to look back at her as he did. Tenten's further shouts of protest were drowned out as the pair disappeared into the surrounding forest.

"Uh…okay, that was weird." Kiba muttered with a scratch of his head. "Well whatever. Me and green boy here will go that way." Turning to Lee, Kiba made a motion with his thumb. "Let's go."

"I am right behind you, my most youthful companion!" Lee shouted joyously as he and the Inuzuka took to the trees.

Hinata waited for a few moments to insure that both her and her cousin's teammates were well beyond earshot before rounding on the older male. "Why are you here, Neji?" She asked icily.

The young genius winced at the omission of the customary 'Nii-san' she normally used with him. Whenever Hinata addressed him by name only, it meant trouble was sure to follow. And though Neji was certain he was still a good ways above his cousin in terms of skill, he had a feeling that this was one of those moments where 'pissed off female' trumped 'genius'. Sighing in resignation, Neji prepared for the coming few minutes.

"I told you, Hinata-sama, it was merely a coincidence that we came across your team." The boy replied mildly and was unsurprised when her eyes narrowed on him.

"You're lying." She stated bluntly. "I may not be as good at reading people as you, Neji, but I do know when it's _you_ who is lying to me. Which means you were sent here by **him**!"

The pure venom in his cousins voice made Neji want to wince again, but he maintained his composure for the sake of his act. "I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about, Hinata-sa-" He only barely dodged the palm strike to his gut that, chakra enhanced or not, he was sure would have ruptured an organ if it had hit.

"WHY ARE YOU LYING FOR HIM!?" She snarled, the veins around her eyes pulsing from her unconsciously activated byakugan. "After all he's done to the branch family! After all he's done to _you_! How can you stand there and lie for him, Neji!?"

Neji remained silent as he carefully watched the furious girl just in case she should launch another attack. Truth be told, he knew exactly why she was so angry. Nor could he really fault her for it considering all that had happened. However, that was what made his role that much more difficult. Because Neji _knew_. He knew everything. And he had made a promise to keep that knowledge locked away. A promise he would keep not only for the sake of the clan, but for the sake of the very girl that stood before him now.

"My answer…remains the same, Hinata-sama." He replied firmly, locking eyes with the enraged heiress.

The two stayed that way for some time, neither willing to back down, but finally Hinata sighed and turned away. "Fine. I will accept your answer." She muttered grudgingly. "I know you are lying, but I will accept it."

"Thank you, Hinata-sama." Neji said sincerely. They both knew that if Hinata had wanted to, she could have forced him to answer her questions by torturing him with the seal on his forehead. However, he, as well as the rest of the branch family members, knew that she would never do such a thing of her own free will. It was for that reason, along with many others, that the branch family respected her.

Hinata nodded once in acknowledgement before leaping into the trees with Neji following closely behind her. As they began moving through the trees, the prodigy let his gaze linger on his cousins back and a pang of guilt struck him.

'_We've placed so much upon your shoulders, Hinata-sama. But I have faith that you have the strength to endure. And until the day I draw my last breath, I will protect you and help you in any way I can._' His eyes grew distant as an image of a three year old Hinata appeared in his thoughts. Her eyes closed and tears sliding down her cheeks.

'_Just as you did for me._'

X

"Hey, Chibi! Stop!" Tenten yelled at the boy dragging her through the Forest of Death, only to be ignored. "Naruto!" She tried again, receiving the same response. Finally having had enough, the girl adjusted herself to run properly for a few steps and then launched herself at the blonde's back and with a yelp of surprise Naruto was taken bodily to the forest floor where the pair rolled over each other for several feet before finally coming to rest.

"…Ow." Naruto winced as he rubbed the sore part of his head and looked up at the girl above him. "What the hell was that for, Bun-chan?"

"What do you mean, what was that for?!" The girl snarled, grabbing his collar and lifting his back off the ground so she could better glare into his eyes. "You just start dragging me through the forest without a word of warning and then completely ignore me when I yell at you to stop, and you wonder why I had to tackle you?! Give me one good reason I shouldn't start pounding you into the ground right now!"

Naruto gulped as he looked into the girl's furious, chocolate brown eyes. "Uh…cause I'm cute?"

Tenten pulled her fist back. "Wrong answer."

"Wait! It was a joke! A joke!" The boy pleaded. "How about…because…" His eyes lit up with hope as he was struck by inspiration. "I can help you get back at Nii-san!" The girl paused in her motion to cause him physical harm and Naruto felt as if salvation had just rained down upon him. "So? What do you say?"

"…I'm assuming you're talking about the incident from the other day?" She clarified. At Naruto's desperate nod, her eyes narrowed. "Do you really expect me to believe you had _no_ idea what it was he got you to ask me?"

"I really didn't! I don't even know what it means _now_!" The boy practically shouted but then chuckled nervously. "I mean, come on, do you think I'd be dumb enough to ask you something you'd potentially kill me for in the middle of a crowded street if I knew what it meant. I may be like Nii-san sometimes, but I'm not _that_ crazy."

Tenten couldn't help the small snort that came due to the boy's comparison but she quickly fell back into her suspicious gaze. "Okay, then why is it that, when I was talking with your friends yesterday, after we lost track of Jagaa-nii-san, that they told me that you regularly scold him for his loose relations with women? Are you saying you don't actually know what it is that you've been berating him for either?" The slow blush that came to the boy's face before he averted his eyes actually made her gape at him. "Seriously!?"

"It's not like I don't know _anything_! That would be impossible with always being around someone like Nii-san." The boy said quickly in prideful defense. "It's just that…I don't know _everything_." The boy turned his face away from the girl and his blush deepened a little more as he stared along the ground. "So, yes. Sometimes I'll yell at him about something that I'm not even sure what it actually is I'm yelling at him about. I just know that it was something that other people would get on his case about, so it must not be good."

Tenten stared down at the boy for some time, much to his further embarrassment. "You know. I'm not sure whether I should find that amusing or sad."

"You can find it whatever you want as long as I don't get beaten up." The boy said in a half pleading tone.

"We'll call it a stay of execution, for now." The girl grinned down at the boy who smiled in relief.

"Well that's nice and all." A familiar voice came from the side and the pair looked over to see Kiba standing just a ways off with a strange grin plastered on his face, next to Lee who was covering his eyes as if seeing something he shouldn't be. "But I think I should have asked Jagaa to borrow his camera. I think he'd love to have pictures of this."

"Tenten-san, I never knew your flames of youth burned so…intensely." Lee said in an embarrassed way, his right eye peeking through his now parted fingers.

"What are you two talking about?" Naruto asked, turning his body a bit so he could better see the other two boys.

Tenten was just about to ask the same thing when Naruto's body started twisting beneath her, sending a small shiver up her spine from the contact. "Hey! Stop moving!" She yelled at the boy she was on top of. "It's making me feel…" The girl trailed off as everything she had just thought ran through her mind again and she slowly shifter her eyes to her waist.

"Hey? What's wrong, Bun-chan." Naruto asked when the girl on top of him when she stopped midway in her yelling. Not receiving an answer, he curiously followed her gaze…only to freeze when he finally realized what she had just realized. Or rather, something they had already realized, but not fully grasped before due to the conversation.

Tenten was _on top_ of Naruto and very much _straddling_ him with their pelvises _pressed together_.

Tenten's embarrassed scream filled the air, drowning out Naruto's who launched himself out from underneath her like a torpedo, coming to a painful stop when his head collided solidly with a tree and leaving the boy groaning in agony as he clutched his throbbing skull.

"See? I told you it'd be funny." Kiba smirked to Lee was still half hiding his eyes.

"…One of these days...I might kill you, dog breath." Naruto growled while Tenten glared at the Inuzuka.

Akamaru barked several times at Naruto and Tenten, eliciting an even wider smirk from Kiba. "Akamaru wants to know if the two of you are done mating and if we can get back to the exam."

"WE WEREN'T MATING!" The two simultaneous shouts echoed through the forest.

"Whatever." Kiba shrugged. "Either way, we need to get back to the exam so-" The Inuzuka was cut off when a huge blast of wind tore through the area, forcing them to shield their faces from the flying debris.

"What the hell is going on!?" Tenten shouted, two kunai dug into the base of a tree to better withstand the force. Her shout was soon answered by a distant scream of panic that was rapidly getting closer.

"That's Ino-chan!" Naruto yelled, forcing his way into the fiercest part of the howling wind just in time to intercept the screaming girl flying through the air. The two collided with a grunt audible even over the noise of the gale were sent rolling along the ground until Naruto managed to grab a protruding root and anchor the two of them in place until the wind finally died away.

"Hey! Are you two okay?" Kiba asked as he and the others ran up to the prone blondes.

As Tenten arrived, she found herself pausing at the sight. Naruto's left arm was around Ino's waist, as his right was extended and clenching the root that had kept them from being swept away, holding her tightly to him. The girl herself had wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and her face was buried in his chest. She didn't know why, but Tenten was feeling rather annoyed by the sight.

"Urg, somehow." Naruto grunted as he released his grip on the root. "I thought I was gonna dislocate my arm again though." He looked down to the girl currently wrapped around him. "Are you okay, Ino-chan?"

"Yeah." She replied, pulling her head out of his chest and smiling gratefully at him. "Thanks for the save, whiskers."

Tenten cleared her throat loudly to catch everyone's attention and looked at Ino, her eyes slightly harder than she intended. "Glad you are okay, but do you think you could tell us what happened?"

If Ino found the girls gaze or tone odd in any way, she didn't act it as she pulled away from Naruto and stood up, dusting herself off in the process. "I'm not really sure. One minute my team and I are making plans on how to best acquire the scroll we need, and the next I'm being drug through the forest by a freaking hurricane or something." The girl looked back the way she had just flown in from and her face lit up in worry. "I hope Sasuke-kun and Sakura are okay."

Naruto also looked down the path of destruction through the forest, his eyes narrowing as he examined the way the trees and forest floor had been affected by the gale. '_That was a Fuuton: Daittoppa._' He thought as he recognized the familiar destruction pattern of one of his favorite techniques. '_But it was WAY stronger than anything I've ever done._' The boy felt a chill run down his spine as he gazed into the dark, distant center of the freshly made path and muttered to himself. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

X

Sasuke felt as if the blood in his veins had turned to ice as he looked upon the figure in front of him. He didn't know why, but he knew. He knew that he was facing an opponent that was far beyond him. Maybe it had been the force of the attack that had just swept away the third member of his team. Maybe it was the way the person moved in that assured, almost snake like way. Or maybe it was the calm, yet sinister smile that was just visible under the large straw hat the person wore. Whatever it may be, every fiber in his being was telling him to run away as fast as he could. However, through will power alone, Sasuke fought back his instincts and placed himself defensively in front of his remaining teammate. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The figure slowly lifted up their head, revealing a woman who bore both a Kusa hitai-ate and pair of dangerous, hungry eyes as she slowly licked her lips in a grotesque manner.

"I've been looking for you…Sasuke-kun."

**KC:** Hello, foolish humans. Seeing as I am in his pen name, and that the author is currently being rushed to the hospital for writers who have been blown up by their muses, I, the great Kyuuubi-sama, will be taking his place in introducing and ending the chapters for now, and the sections in which you will find my greatness will be known as 'Kyuubi's Corner'. With that said, the foolish author human has created you an omake about the escape of my idiot human prison from his pheromone influenced pursuers and hopes that you foolish human readers will enjoy it. He also wanted to say that he may do more in the future, since there were scenes he had thought up originally that wouldn't quite fit the flow of the main story as it is now. So, read on, you pathetic sacks of meat. And show your appreciation, or lack of, for his attempts at entertainment by reviewing or I, the mighty Kyuubi-sama, shall devour your very soul!

**Omake**

Naruto didn't need to look back to know his pursuers were hot on his trail as he ran naked through the dark streets of Konoha. Even if he couldn't hear the ragged panting and longing calls from the horde of naked women behind him, the feel of their eyes burning into his fleeing form was more than enough to keep him well aware that he was far from being safe.

'_Gotta run! Gonna be raped! Gotta run! Gonna be raped! Gotta run! Gonna be RAPED!_' Naruto fearful mental chant urged him to greater speeds. Grabbing a lamp pole, he used it to sling shot himself around a corner and charged down the blackened alley.

"Come back, Naru-chan!" He heard the distinct voice of the crazy lady shout. "Anko nee-chan just wants to milk you dry!" Naruto nearly stumbled at the woman's words, but sheer desperation and panic kept him on his feet.

'_There's gotta be a way to get away!_' He thought in a panic as he sent chakra to his feet and sped up the side of building that was acting as a dead end. '_I just need to put enough distance between me and them to come up with a-_' His danger senses kicking in, Naruto dove to the side just in time to avoid a diving figure who turned out to be, to his horror, the crazy lady herself. Stumbling slightly, Naruto was forced to come to a halt and he whirled to face his opponent who was crouched like a cat ready to pounce.

"There's no use running, Naru-chan." The woman called provocatively. "Tonight, Anko-chan is going to teach how to use that…" She paused glanced downwards, licking her lips and causing the boy to instinctively cover himself. "wonderful piece of equipment you have, to its fullest. Over and over and over again."

If Naruto was scared before, the gleam in the woman's eyes was only serving to increase that fear around a thousand fold. "Um…any chance I could just get some written instructions?" The woman smiled and shook her head, and Naruto gulped audible. "I was afraid of that."

"Back off, bitch! He's mine!" The pair turned towards the voice and Naruto watched as an unfamiliar woman crawled onto the top of the roof.

"Screw you both! I'm taking him!" Another woman shouted as she jumped onto the roof as well. Soon after, many more women, both familiar and not, were gathering on either the same roof or the ones nearby and within moments, Naruto found himself completely surrounded by lustful females, most of whom were still naked.

"Oh? So there are some bitches who think they're going to get Naru-chan before I do." Anko growled, flexing her fingers like talons. "We'll just see about that."

As the women all began to fall into some form of combat stance in preparation of their battle for the blonde, the boy in question actually felt a bit flattered that so many women, naked at that, would be willing to fight to the death for him. It was kind of touching. But then, he caught a flash of pink that drew his attention to Sakura, flanked by Ino and Hinata, trying to force their way through the masses and he was reminded that the situation was very, _very_ wrong and that it was time to make a getaway. Knowing there was no way he was going to be able to force his way out, Naruto did the only thing he could think might create an opening. His fingers formed a cross shaped seal and his voice reached the heavens. "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

In an instant, several hundred Narutos were spread throughout the rooftops and the females fell silent as their eyes widened. "One for each of us." A woman's whisper echoed through the air.

Naruto took a deep breath and raised his arm like a commander. "All me's, RUN!"

With a shout of confirmation, the clones scattered in every direction, causing an excited squeal from the horde of females as they took off in pursuit of whichever clone had been closest to them.

"Success!." The boy cheered as he watched the rooftops quickly clear of both his clones and his pursuers before turning to make his own exit. "Now to get out of-oomph" Somehow, Naruto didn't even need to see the face of who's chest he'd just walked into to know who it was.

"Now, now, Naru-chan. You didn't think I'd be satisfied with anything less than the original, did you?" Anko cooed as she wrapped her arms around him in loose way, her smile showing her confidence that she finally had him captured. When the boy didn't say anything, her smile became a frown and she pulled him away from her…only to gape in disbelief at the crudely drawn face of the Naruto sized stuffed to she was holding. "…Huh… I think I'm going to have to smack Jagaa-chan for teaching Naru-chan kawarimi no jutsu…yep, definitely have to smack him…then screw him…then smack him again…then let him smack me…then screw him again…then-" The woman was so engrossed in her musings that she never saw her blonde target, who was feeling extremely disturbed by what he was hearing, slinking away in the shadows.

It would be another, extremely tense, hour later that the boy would finally find himself in the safety of his own home. For a moment, the boy considered busting in on his older brother and demanding an explanation as to how he got all those women to chase him and what he had thrown on him just before throwing him over the wall, but decided not to in favor of getting some much needed sleep. He would just confront his brother in the morning.

That night, Naruto's dreams would be haunted by 'terrible' nightmares of being caught in several different places by various women who were just about to have their way with him before the scene would abruptly end.


	14. Tango in the Treetops

**AN:** FreeTheKyuubi looked hesitantly around the corner. "Do you think that anyone is even still out there to read this? They probably think I'm dead." From his side, Jagaa pokes his sunglassed face over FTK's shoulder. "They just might. It's been forever since you updated. They might not even like your story anymore." FTK starts crying. "But it's not, my fault! I've got responsibilities! School! Work! Family! I want to write all the time, but I can't!" Jagaa smacks the author upside the head. "Quit making excuses. You could have worked in time to write. You've just been a lazy bastard. You should be ashamed." FTK rubs the back of his head. "You're a mean character." Jagaa shrugs in response. "I am what you and Rhea made me. Speaking of which, where is she?" FTK shudders. "Knowing her, probably at a weapon's silo stocking up on ammunition." Suddenly an angry roar sounds in the distance and Jagaa turns to FTK. "Isn't that Kyuubi?" FTK's eyes widen. "Oh shit! He was supposed to get to open the chapters with his _Kyuubi's Corner_ for a while. He's gonna be pissed! Quick, get back in the story like you're supposed to be and I'm gonna go hide in closet and pray he doesn't find me." FTK runs off, leaving Jagaa to stare after him before he shrugs and jumps back to the story.

**Disclaimer:** Jagaa here. Just wanted to remind you before this kicks off that FTK does not own Naruto. He owns me, much to my dismay, but not Naruto or any other characters from the series. Not even Princess. (a shout rises from the story and Jagaa sighs) I'm coming. I'm coming. Sheesh. Even outside of the story she still bitches at me. (Jagaa disappears back into the chapter)

**Chapter 14:** Tango in the Tree Tops

"I've been looking for you...Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's mouth was dry and his throat tight. Every fiber in his being was telling him that he needed to run from this person. Run as fast and as far as he could and not look back lest he invite his own death. But Sasuke would not. He would not, because he was the only thing standing between this person and his teammate. His resolve hardening with this knowledge, Sasuke moved to better shield Sakura and glared at the sinister person. "Well, you found me. So who are you and what do you want?"

A trace of amusement flitted across the woman's face at Sasuke's actions. "I am simply one who seeks entertainment. And I feel you would be most amusing indeed. Besides..." the woman reached into her pouch and pulled out an earth scroll, a malicious grin coming to her face. "I have something you need, right?"

Sasuke eyed the scroll and forced himself not to show his surprise that the Kusa woman had known which scroll his team needed to find. "What makes you think that's the scroll we need? Wont you have wasted your time hunting us down if we have the same scroll?" His exterior calm was a sharp contrast to his internal apprehension as he silently prayed that the woman be fall for the bluff. His prayers were proven unheard as the woman's smile widened sickeningly.

"No need to worry, Sasuke-kun. I'm certain that you are in need of this scroll."

Sasuke mentally cursed and prepared for the fight he didn't want but he was sure was coming.

Sakura's own fears were growing exponentially as well as she listened to the conversation. She was already fearing the worst about Ino after that huge blast of wind had carried the other girl to some unknown location, and now there was some strange Kusa kunoichi who not only appeared to have tracked them down specifically, but even knew what scroll they were carrying. She didn't need inner Sakura's fearful warnings to know she was facing a very dangerous person.

"So, shall we begin?" Both Sasuke and Sakura watched in horrific fascination as the woman lifted the scroll above her face and wrapped her grotesquely long tongue around it before, slowly, swallowing it like a snake devouring its prey. Sakura felt the bile rise in the back of her throat at the display.

"Let's enjoy ourselves, shall we." The woman continued, dropping her gaze to the ground. "In this battle for the scrolls." She slowly looked back up at the pair, her finger tips pulling down at the skin below her left eye. "In which we put our lives on the line."

Her chest exploded.

His throat was torn open.

Her heart was ripped out.

His lungs were impaled.

Her body was ripped apart.

His skull was split in two.

The last thing she knew was pain.

The last thing he saw was blood.

She died.

He died.

Sasuke fell to his hands and knees, the disgusting taste of bile filling his mouth as he vomited on the forest floor.

'_I'm...alive?_' Sasuke's vision was shaky, and his body refused to cooperate, only his head moving enough for him to put his terrified gaze on the Kusa kunoichi. '_Was that...a genjutsu?_' His eyes met with hers only to widen when her malicious smile made him realize the truth. '_No! It was just pure blood lust! She did this with nothing but her killing intent!_'

Sasuke forced his head to turn so he could see Sakura, finding the girl simply staring straight ahead, her eyes blank and tears running down her face, and he grit his teeth. "Again...again because of me."

Gathering all the will power he possessed, Sasuke, slowly, forced his unresponsive body to stand and draw a kunai from his pouch. He knew it was futile. He knew he was no match for this person. But he had made a promise to himself. And he would keep that promise no matter what the cost.

The Kusa kunoichi eyed Sasuke in a way that as both malevolent and strangely disappointed as she watched him struggle to move his body. "Is this it? Is this all you are capable of?" Her hand dipped into the pouch on her back and reappeared with two kunai. "If you can't even amuse me, then there is no point in keeping you alive." What's an almost negligent flip of her wrist, she sent the blades flying.

Even before she released the weapons, Sasuke knew that, this time, they really would die. Both him...and Sakura. He could be the blades coming. Each millisecond meaning less time he had to save himself and his teammate. Only pure desperation was forcing his body to follow his mental screams to move. Only unbridled terror was enough to get him to drive his kunai into his own leg. But it was enough. Feeling returned to his limbs and with a mere hairs breadth to spare, he grabbed his teammate and leapt to the safety of the trees.

Sasuke wasn't sure how far he had run. Nor did he care. All he cared about was putting as much distance between them and the lethal kunoichi as possible. Feeling that they should be safe for the moment, Sasuke stopped on a large tree limb and leaned Sakura against the trunk. A quick slap was all it took to pull the girl out of her shock and have her staring directly at his face, terror and confusion shining behind her emerald eyes. "Sasuke...kun? ...Are we...alive?"

Sasuke nearly cringed at the pleading behind her eyes. "Yeah. We're still alive." Sasuke looked back over his shoulder. "But I don't think we lost her yet."

Sakura stared at Sasuke for a moment, still not sure if she should believe yet that she really wasn't dead. She was about to at least ask him if he knew anything about their pursuer when he turned back to her, his head slightly bowed so as not to meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura's original question froze in her throat at the sudden apology and for a moment, she could only stare at him again. "Why?" She finally asked.

Sasuke continued to look down and his voice was low as he spoke. "After...that day...I made a promise to myself. I promised that I would never make you have to feel fear like that again...but, because I'm weak, I failed in that promise."

At first, Sakura wasn't sure which day he was talking about, but the sudden image of a blazing fireball sent a shiver down her spine and made her we realize what he meant. But before she could say anything about it, Sasuke continued.

"But, even if I failed that promise, I won't fail this one." This time, Sasuke did look at her, his onyx eyes burning into her own. "I promise I will protect you, Sakura, even if it costs me my life."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. His gaze was so determined, so sincere, that she felt a fluttering in her heart that she had thought would be impossible for him to ever cause again. "Sasuke...I-"

Sasuke suddenly threw himself on her, wrapping his arms around her and jumping away from the tree. Sakura's shout of surprise at his actions morphed into a scream if terror when she saw a giant snake snap through the branch were they had been only a second before.

'Damn it! She found us already! Sasuke mentally swore. He had known that they wouldn't be able to outrun her forever, but he'd been hoping to at least have enough time to make a plan of some sort.

He didn't notice the giant tail coming toward him until it was almost too late. Knowing there wasn't enough time to get both him and Sakura out of the way, Sasuke threw the girl towards a nearby branch and brought up his arms to guard. The assault slammed the Uchiha into giant tree trunk and his pain filled shout echoed through the forest before he fell to the large limb below, going to his knees and coughing up blood.

"I'm disappointed, Sasuke-kun. Is this really all you are capable of?"

Sasuke's eyes grew large as he watched the Kusa woman slowly emerge from the top of the snake's head like a scene from a nightmare, her grotesquely long tongue hanging from her mouth sickeningly assets she stared straight at him. "After all, this game is only fun you continue struggling to survive."

"Sasuke-kun!"

The shout drew both his and the kunoichi's attention to Sakura, who was leaping through the foliage and heading towards them.

"Sakura! Get out of here!" Sasuke shouted, the sudden yell bringing the girl to a halt. "I'm the one she's after! Get out of here while you can!" Looking back to the Kusa nin, he felt panic rise when the woman's eyes narrowed on his teammate. With no thought of self-preservation, Sasuke sent several shuriken flying at the foreign Nin, pulling her attention off Sakura and back to himself. "I'm the one you want, right? Then just try and get me!"

A wicked smile came to the woman's face. "Then here I come, Sasuke-kun."

His unconsciously activated sharingan was all that gave Sasuke time to dodge the fist that would have landed between his eyes. A quick duck to let the fist pass over him followed by a swift leap away to avoid the following knee had him moving through the air away from his opponent. Grabbing several kunai, Sasuke spun once in the air for extra power and launched them at the foreign nin.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched her casually knock the weapons away. "I need to keep my distance!" He threw a few more shuriken to try to get a gauge on how she moved more that with any intention to hit. "If I can somehow figure out her style, I might be able to do something."

"You're too naive, Sasuke-kun." The woman smirked and her tongue shot from her mouth, wrapping around Sasuke's right leg before he could react. The Uchiha's curse at being caught was short lived before being replaced with a cry of pain as he was slammed into a tree. The impact leaving him dazed, he barely registered that the woman's tongue had been removed from his leg and retracted into her mouth. "Did you think you could defeat me with such simple tactics?"

Sasuke grit his teeth against the pain as he glared at the woman who's smirk had yet to leave her face.

"Well then, shall we continue, Sasuke-kun?" As soon as the words left her mouth, the Kusa nin shot forward. Knowing that he couldn't dodge in his current condition, Sasuke pulled out a kunai and braced himself.

"Hey batter batter! Swing!"

Sasuke stared as the Kusa woman stopped and leapt backwards just in time to avoid being pummeled by a very large broken tree limb being simultaneously wielded by five identical blondes.

"Tch, strike." The closest Naruto commented in disappointment.

"Then I shall be the next batter!"

A green blur landed directly in front of the Kusa woman, Lee's form being clearly visible for only a moment before his body spun and his leg shot out. "KONOHA SEMPU!" With a frown of annoyance, the woman once again jumped back to easily avoid the attack.

"Strike two!" Naruto shouted. "We need a pinch hitter!"

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth several shuriken flew from the foliage making the foreign nin jump back a third time. As soon as he landed, Tenten fell from the tree tops wielding a massive spiked club. Rotating her entire body in order to move it, the girl attempted to smash the Kusa woman, who avoided just in time, and utterly destroyed the tree limb she hit instead.

"Damn! Almost had her!" Ino's voice rang out just before the girl joined Tenten on what was left of the tree limb. "Looks like our combo play was a bust."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto said cheerfully. "It wouldn't be any fun we kicked her ass too fast."

"Yosh! Now is the time for me to show my power of youth!" Lee's eyes had flames of passion burning in them as he clenched his fist at the foreign nin.

"Naruto?" Sasuke said in surprise, still reeling slightly from the sudden arrivals. "What are you doing here?"

"We picked your teammate in the woods a ways back." The whiskered boy grinned in response. "So we came to give her back. Now we're gonna help you kick that weird bitch's ass so we can all get back to our exam."

Sasuke's eyes lingered on the other boy for a moment before unconsciously shifting to Sakura. Seeing that Ino had already moved to the girl's side, he let a small sigh of relief before refocusing on Naruto and giving him his best glare. "No one asked for your help, Moron?"

If Naruto noticed the Uchiha's sigh, he didn't show it. Turning instead towards the Kusa woman and flashing a feral grin. "Yeah? In that case it's a contest on who takes her out first."

Sasuke smirked as moved to stand next to Naruto, cracking his knuckles as he did so. "Agreed."

"Hey, don't go leavin us out!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru, who was henged into a double of Kiba, ran up the base the base of the tree from below. The Kusa woman, an annoyed scowl adorning her face, had just looked down at the pair when they both sent themselves into a high speed spiral. "GATSUGA!"

The foreign nin let out a short curse as she leapt away before the pair destroyed yet another thick tree limb she had been standing on. Using chakra to hold herself on the base of another tree, woman glared at the assembled genin with no small amount of annoyance. "I came here to play with Sasuke-kun. I have no interest in any of you."

"Well too bad for you then, creepy lady." Naruto shot back. "Cause we've all got plenty of interest in kicking your ass."

A wicked smile lit up the woman's face. "Is that so? Well then, my bothersome little genin, I hope you can at least provide me some entertainment before you die." The woman and raised her hand and pointed at the young blonde.

A loud, snarl-like hiss sounding from below was their only warning. Sasuke and Naruto leapt from the tree limb just before it was bitten through by the enormous snake.

"Holy crap!" Kiba shouted from another tree. "That's a big snake!"

Ino recoiled in revulsion. "Eww! I hate snakes!"

Naruto's hand flashed to his pouch and he sent four kunai towards the massive reptile, the tags attached them immediately beginning to smoke and sizzle. The snake barely seemed to notice the weapons stabbing into it, but the explosion that followed made the creature his in agony and crash into the trees, a significant amount of its face lost in the blast.

"Anybody need a new pair of boots?" The boy asked, a large grin splitting his face.

With another hiss of pain, the snake disappeared with a huge burst of smoke that nearly knocked several of the genin from the trees.

Her hair being blown back in the aftermath of the summon's disappearance, the Kusa woman tilted her head and gazed at Naruto in mild interest. "You defeated my summon so quickly."

"Don't make it sound so impressive." He boy shrugged before his grin widened. "A target that big was just ASKING to get blown up."

The woman looked like she was about to say something but was forced to quickly jump away as a massive fireball incinerated the branch she had been standing on.

"Don't think I'm just going to sit back and watch." Sasuke said, his hand still held near his mouth from his attack and his sharingan spinning. "I am the one you came looking for. Remember?"

The woman smirked from her new perch. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I haven't forgotten you." The woman licked her lips. "You are my prey, after all."

"I don't think she means that in a good way." Naruto muttered to the Uchiha who quirked a curious eyebrow.

"What would be a good way?"

Naruto paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not really sure. But I heard Nii-san say something like that once."

"Quite yapping and move!"

Kiba's shout pulled the pairs attention to the Kusa nin who was descending upon them from above. They moved apart just in time to avoid being landed on but were quickly forced to defend when the woman's arm and leg shot out in a double attack.

Naruto crossed his arms to block the punch to his face at and Sasuke's knee shot up to deflect the kick to his abdomen. Without pause the woman pulled her leg back from Sasuke and sent a round house to Naruto's ribs. The boy blocked by dropping his elbow and the woman used the rebound to swing her leg back around at Sasuke's head. The Uchiha ducked the attack and launched a punch at her stomach, but the woman easily deflected it even as she jumped to avoid Naruto's attempt to sweep her legs. Once in the air she spun and sent a back hand at Sasuke who leaned back just in time to avoid it but was not able to avoid the following kick that landed squarely in his chest and sent him reeling backwards. As soon as she landed, the woman ducked down to avoid Naruto's flying punch to the back of her head. After the attack passed harmlessly above her, the Kusa woman grabbed the front of the boy's shirt and threw the Uzumaki into the still staggering Uchiha. With a pained yell from both, they crashed onto the tree limb in a heap.

Grunting, the pair got back to their feet as quickly as possible, but found the woman merely smirking down at them.

"I'm disappointed, Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun. I thought you would have more to offer than this." The boy's glared defiantly at the smirking woman.

"Don't forget about us, you bitch!" Kiba and the transformed Akamaru charged along the branch at the woman their bodies poised for a spin. "GATS-"

Her hands already flashing the moment Kiba yelled, the woman launched her own attack before the Inuzuka could launch his."**Fuuton: Daittoppa**!"

Both Kiba and Akamaru were blasted back by the sudden explosion of wind, the puppy's transformation breaking as he slammed into a tree.

"I'LL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

Lee dropped like a bomb from the trees above, the heel of his foot sending wood fragments exploding outwards as it impacted where the woman had been standing.

"Must you yell all the time?" Tenten questioned as she sent a volley of kunai at the Kusa nin to prevent her from attacking Lee's back.

"How do you put up with that?" Ino asked as she and Sakura tended to Kiba and Akamaru.

"Painfully." The older girl admitted.

The foreign woman looked mildly displeased as she stared at the looked between Lee, who was standing in ready stance and sporting a confident smile, to the remaining four behind him. "You children lack manners. I'm playing with Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun right now." The woman's eyes narrowed. "So I think it's time for you to leave."

The teens tensed as the woman crouched slightly, but before either party could move, Sasuke and Naruto landed between her and their teammates.

"Naruto-kun? Uchiha-san?" Lee's questioning tone betrayed his surprise at the sudden blockade.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder, his activated sharingan making his glare more piercing than usual. "You're in the way. Get lost."

"Hey, you don't have to be an ass." Naruto reprimanded before turning to the other genin behind him. "But he's not completely wrong. You all should get out of here and let Teme and me handle it."

"What are you talking about, Chibi?" Tenten shouted. "It's obvious that this woman is strong! You can't beat her alone!"

"Yeah, you might be right." The blonde confessed, shocking every genin other than Sasuke. "But the lady want's to dance with us." Naruto clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking threateningly. "And gentlemen shouldn't refuse a lady, right?"

"Ku ku ku. Well said, Naruto-kun." The foreign Kunoichi smirked amusedly.

"You heard them. Now get lost." Sasuke order Lee who was still standing directly behind him and Naruto. "Fighting this woman is the job of me and the moron. Yours is to protect our teammates if we fall."

Lee looked like he was about to argue but his protests were stayed by the final words. "Uchiha-san?" He asked, not sure how to react.

"Please." Sasuke said in a low voice. "If we fail...keep them safe."

"...I understand, Uchiha-san." Lee said in a subdued tone that was quickly replaced by his usual exuberance. "Yosh! I will protect our friends while you battle this nefarious lady! Show her the power of YOUTH!" The green clad genin leapt away leaving Naruto, Sasuke, and the Kusa kunoichi alone. Vaguely they could hear the others trying to get Lee to tell them what Sasuke had said, but they ignored it for the sake of focusing on each other.

"Well done getting rid of the interference, Sasuke-kun." The woman praised with her smirk still in place.

"I agree." Naruto said jovially and giving Sasuke an approving look. "Guess I was right when I said there might be hope for you, Teme." Sasuke only grunted in response at which Naruto grinned broadly then turned back to the Kusa nin. "Speaking of interference though, why am I being invited to play when you came for the teme? Shouldn't I be getting driven off too?"

The woman's smirk never left her face. "Because, Naruto-kun. It is more entertaining this way."

"Woman has a bad sense of entertainment." The blonde muttered to his ally who nodded in response. "But okay then. If the lady, creepy as she is, wants to play..." Naruto formed a cross shaped seal and grinned. "Then let's get wild! KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" The forest filled with pops and smoke that left nearly everyone gaping in shock as roughly three hundred Naruto clones came into existence.

The Kusa woman smirked as she took in the sight. "Most amusing indeed."

The real Naruto, still standing next to Sasuke, pointed at the woman like a commander. "Kick that bitch's ASS!"

With a roar of agreement, the clones attacked.

The Kusa woman avoided the punches of the first two clones by leaping over them, flipping in the air and negligently tossing a kunai into each of their backs. As she landed she caught the wrist of a third and used a quick spin to throw him into the face of a fourth, dispelling both. Her left foot lashed out, catching a fifth clone in the chest before she rotated and slammed her right foot into the head of the sixth. A kunai appeared in her hand instantly to deflect several shuriken flying at her then, without pause, she flung her arm back to drive the kunai into a clones chest before righting her grip and driving it in front of her into the forehead of another clone.

The clones split off into groups of three, two grabbing each arm of the third. "Eat this, bitch! Uzumaki missile!" Wrenching forward with all the strength they had, the two launched the third towards the woman. Each of the flying clones pulled out a kunai, aiming it directly towards the enemy nin like human javelins.

The foreign nin smirked before lazily raising her right arm. "**Senai Jashuu**." Several snakes burst out from inside her sleeve and struck the sailing clones, dispelling them instantly and leaving only puffs of smoke where they had once been. With a slight raise of her eyebrow, she questioned the nearest Naruto. "That attack was rather useless. Is that really the best you can do, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto grinned back cockily. "Useless? It got your attention, didn't it?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly as a Sasuke's voice rang out directly behind her. "**Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" **The Kusa nin screamed in pain as the fire blasted into her back and engulfed her. Before any thoughts of victory could enter the Genins' minds, the woman burst out of the fire and landed on a tree limb above them, her left arm charred and smoking from the damage.

"Too hot for you, bitch!" Naruto shouted. "Then we'll cool you down!" Three clones burst from the leaves above the foreign nin, each of their hands locked in the bird seal, and shouted all at once. "**Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu**!"

"A water technique of this caliber _here_?" The woman questioned in surprise as three dragons made of water formed for the attack.

"Those clones have been gathering the moisture in the air for most of this fight." Naruto smirked as the three liquid beasts were unleashed.

"Hmph." The woman sniffed as she jumped away from the branch she was on. "I can dodge it easily enough."

Naruto smirked. "It's not that easy." As if to prove his point, the dragons suddenly veered away from the branch and once again started heading straight for the woman.

Eye's widening slightly in mild surprise, the Kusa nin jumped again immediately after landing and watched as the dragons once again changed course. "Impressive control, Naruto-kun."

"You haven't seen anything yet!" The boy declared. The three dragons that had been running almost side by side suddenly banked away from each other in large arcs before veering towards the woman again all from different directions.

The woman's eyes calmly shifted through the attacks before holding out her arm once again. The snakes the burst from her sleeve wrapped around a nearby tree limb allowing her to pull herself directly through an opening in the attacks just before they crashed together, blasting out water in all directions. "Still not good enough." She said with a smirk as she landed on another branch, but she was soon raising a questioning eyebrow when Naruto replied with a smirk of his own.

"Nope…we got you."

She heard it just before she saw it, but it was too late as the shuriken came out of the foliage and wrapped around her, the nearly invisible wires trapping her arms at her sides just before she had her back slammed into the tree trunk from a sudden pull. Following the wires upwards, she saw Sasuke with the ends of the wires in his teeth and hands while he formed the dragons seal. "**Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu**!" The fire that spewed from his mouth traveled directly down the wires path and slammed into the woman with the force of a train. Screams of agony filled the area as the woman was engulfed in the intense heat and her body spasmed erratically before going limp and silent, stilled tied to the charred and smoking section of tree.

"That looks like it hurt." Naruto commented offhandedly.

Sasuke leapt from the higher branch and landed next to the blonde, his sharingan fading as he looked at the body. "I wasn't sure if that would actually work." He admitted.

"You doubted your own plan?" Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Sasuke smirked. "There was always the possibility you would screw something up."

"Hey! I did most of the work here, Teme!" The blonde shot back indignantly.

"I did the killing blow." Sasuke shrugged. "Besides, I've been fighting her longer, moron. So I'm better than you by default."

"What the hell kind of logic is-" The argument came to an abrupt end as the two boys heard a low, sinister laughter from the person that thought dead. Snapping their attention back to the body, both boys' eyes widened as the Kusa woman began to slowly walk forward, snapping the strong wires as if they were the weakest of twigs.

"Wonderful." She said in a happy tone. "The two of you have impressive abilities for your ages. However, you are still lacking. Especially you, Sasuke-kun." As she spoke the Kusa nin's voice began to change, becoming deeper, silkier, and far more sinister. Looking up, the person revealed a reptilian eye surrounded by pale white skin underneath the face that had been partially melted away. "You should not be relying on others in order to defeat your enemy. You will never succeed in killing Itachi that way."

Sasuke's body went rigid at the mention of the name, something that did not go unnoticed by Naruto, but before either boy could do or say anything, the foreign nin had formed a seal. "But don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I have present for you." The Kusa nin's neck suddenly stretched out at lightning speed towards Sasuke and his teeth bit into the base of the Uchiha's neck before Sasuke even had a chance to react.

Sasuke screamed in pain at the sudden attack and Naruto was jolted into action. "Asshole! Get off him!" Naruto sent a kunai at the foreign nin's extended neck but only hit air as it retracted as fast as it had extended. Another scream in agony and Sasuke was on his knees, clutching at his neck where he had been bitten. Concerned for his companion, Naruto immediately examined the area and his eyes widened at the sight of a strange marking that looked like three tomoe in an almost circular patter just above where Sasuke's fingers were clutching at his skin. Looking up, he glared at the foreign nin. "What the hell did you do to him, you son of a bitch?!"

The kusa nin raised a finger to his lips conspiratorially. "As I said, Naruto-kun, it is a present for Sasuke-kun. It will give him power, and he will come to me for more power."

Naruto's glare did not lessen. "Who the fuck are you? Why would Sasuke want anything to do with you?"

The Kusa nin smiled and brought a hand up to the hitai-ate on his forehead. When it was removed, the symbol for grass was gone and in its place was a symbol of a music note. "I am Orochimaru. Leader of Otogakurei. And Sasuke _will_ come to me. He will come to me because he desires power. Because he is an avenger."

"Bullshit!" Naruto growled. "Teme wouldn't go to someone like you."

The man, now known to be called Orochimaru, laughed in amusement and his body slowly began to sink into the branch he stood on. "In time, you will understand, Naruto-kun. Until then, I hope you will help Sasuke to become even stronger than he is now." The last thing Naruto saw was the man's sinister, snake like eye before it too disappeared into the tree. "Continue to amuse me in the future, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stared at the spot that the Oto leader had vanished into and then down at the writhing Sasuke. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the voices of his friends shouting in concern and steadily getting closer, but he was too concerned with the one beside him and confused as to everything that had just happened to respond to them. Gritting his teeth, he dropped to his knees and punched the tree limb in frustration.

"Just what the hell is going on?"

X

Kurenai wasn't exactly aware of her surroundings as she moved through the bustling streets of Konoha, the knuckle of her right thumb held lightly beneath her teeth in silent worry for her students. Even though she knew she had been the one to suggest their participation, and still thought the experience would be good for them, she had started fearing for her students' safety since the moment they entered the Forest of Death.

The woman sighed and removed her thumb from her teeth in order to rub her eyes. It would be nice if she had someone to talk to about it, but she wasn't sure who she could talk with now. Normally Kurenai would seek the company of her dango loving best friend, but Anko was overseeing the second exam. Kakashi was definitely out, since it'd be a miracle if he could pull his face out of his smut book long enough to even listen, and Asuma, while being a considerably better listener than Kakashi, would simply shrug everything off in his normal laid back manner.

The woman was about to sigh yet again at the mannerisms of her colleges but it was prevented when she suddenly realized she had stopped walking. Blinking a couple times, she glanced around the area to find out where she was...only for her eyes to widen when she realized where her feet had unconsciously taken her.

"No! No way! Worst idea possible!" The woman turned quickly to go the opposite direction. "What could I even be thinking...?" She stopped after a few steps, her mind going through the possible scenarios that could result of knocking on that door. None of them ended well. Despite that though, she found herself walking towards that very door and all too soon she was standing directly in front of it.

"This is a bad idea." She told herself again quietly. Despite that though, she raised her arm and knocked solidly. After a few seconds of silence, Kurenai started to think maybe he wasn't home and that she had escaped her bad decision, but that was quickly dispelled when his muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

"Just a sec. I'm coming."

For a wild moment Kurenai considered using shunshin to make an escape, but her chance was erased when the door opened and Kurenai's thoughts took a drastic turn.

"Eh? What are you doing here, Princess?" Jagaa asked, his sun glasses moving a bit as he rubbed the side of his head with the towel wrapped over his shoulders.

Kurenai didn't answer. In fact, she had barely even heard him due to the fact she was too busy staring at the man's naked torso. She had always grudgingly admitted that he had a great body, but somehow, maybe due to the way the un-dried water droplets glistened in the sunlight, she found herself completely unable to tear her eyes away from the sight. Even the many scars that ran down his body were only serving to add a primal allure. Despite the protests of her rational mind, Kurenai's gaze slowly traveled downwards to the black, baggy sweatpants he had probably hastily thrown on, and she unconsciously licked her lips.

"Uh, yo, Princess." Kurenai was ripped out of her thoughts by Jagaa's voice and the hand now gesturing upwards in her vision. "The face is up here."

"I wasn't staring!" Kurenai shouted as her eyes snapped up to the man's face. It was only after the man's mouth fell open in shock that she realized exactly what she had just yelled out and her face slowly started to turn bright red.

It started slow. At first, a couple quick explosions of breath through the nose soon followed by many more at a rapid pace. Then his mouth opened and the half restrained laughs forced their way through. Finally, that also gave way and Jagaa was leaning against the door frame with his forehead on his arm while the other arm held his stomach as he laughed uproariously.

Kurenai's face went from bright red to deep scarlet as the man laughed and, for the first time in her life, she desperately wished she could simply fade into nonexistence. "You can stop laughing any time." She muttered in an attempt to retain even the slightest trace of dignity.

"S-sorry...that was just...wow!" The man attempted to force himself to calm down, failing miserably at first, and wiped his eyes underneath his sunglasses. "Oh man. That just made my day. Possibly my week." Jagaa chuckled again at Kurenai's scowl and gestured over his shoulder. "Anyway, come on in, Princess."

Kurenai was in the middle of contemplating whether the current situation would count as justifiable homicide when she was brought up short by what he had said. She also couldn't help but blink in surprise when he walked back into his apartment while gesturing for her to follow. Something was just...WRONG, with the whole situation. Normally, she would have expected the man to use this against her as much as possible until she finally snapped on him, and yet here he was just letting it pass by. It made no sense. She did feel it would be impolite not to accept his invitation though so, still feeling wary, Kurenai followed after the man into his apartment.

"Have a seat." Jagaa said with a gesture of his hand before moving to the kitchen. "I'm afraid to say we don't have any tea, but we do have some juice if you'd like."

"...Yes. That's fine." Still taken aback by the politeness the man was showing. A few seconds later he came out with a glass filled with red fruit juice that he handed to her. It was then that she also realized that he had already put on a loose black shirt for modesty's sake. Kurenai found herself completely speechless at the man's apparent consideration of her and was staring slightly wide eyed as he sat down on the chair across from her.

"So what brings you to my humble abode, Princess?" Jagaa said with a curious tilt of his head. "I don't think I've done anything to really piss you off...well, today anyway."

Kurenai couldn't help the quick exhale of amusement that met his final addition, but it was soon replaced by the feeling of awkwardness as she tried to find the words to explain her being here. She still wasn't sure those was a good idea, now even more than before for some reason, and so she hesitated. Several silent moments passed by as the woman struggled with her thoughts and doubts. She was even considering apologizing and leaving, when Jagaa suddenly stood up and broke the silence.

"Hey, since you're here anyway, you mind giving me a hand with something, Princess?"

Startled by the sudden request, Kurenai answered quickly. "O-of course." It was only after that she realized she didn't know what the request entailed. This did worry her some, but she took heart in the fact that, if it was yet another prank, it would at least make the situation more normal again. So, with only the smallest of reservations, she got off the couch and followed him into the hallway.

"First," Jagaa said when they came upon the first bedroom door, shooting it a gesture with his thumb. "Could you look in there and tell me what you think of the, uh, decor?"

Kurenai eyed both man and door suspiciously. "There isn't a pie throwing machine on the other side of it, is there?"

Jagaa snorted before crossing his heart and holding up two fingers. "Not this time. Scouts honor." It was funny the way his teasing smirk actually reassured her. She mused on that peculiarity as she opened the door...only to scream and slam it closed again before glaring at her partner instructor.

"Not liking Naruto's color of choice, I take it?" Jagaa chuckled.

"How...how can he STAND that!?" Kurenai almost yelled. Cracking open the door to peek inside, she shuddered and quickly closed it again. "So much orange. Even the CARPET. I think my retinas were burned." She once again glared at Jagaa. "Why would you let him do that?"

Jagaa shrugged. "It was a deal we made. He could put as much orange in his room as he wanted as long as he stopped wearing it all the time. We made the deal after some friends of mine begged me to get him out of an orange jumpsuit he was obsessed with wearing."

Kurenai winced at the mental image. "Why did you let him in the first place?"

Another shrug. "Never really bothered me. But Hitomi got him into the blue he wears now, so everybody is happy." He moved to the next room and opened the door. "Now to get to the real thing I'd like some help with. Come on in." Kurenai followed without hesitation, certain that he wasn't planning any pranks further than the one he just did, but as soon as she walked into the room, she once again found herself in a state of shock as she stared around the room.

Every wall in the room from top to bottom, save some space where he had yet to place any, was covered in pictures hung in their frames. But that wasn't all. As she moved closer, she realized that there we're actually two pictures in a curious duel frame. On the left of each frame was a color photo that she could only assume to be the original, but while the photo's themselves were well taken, it was what was in the right half of the frame that took Kurenai's breath away.

Carved into the solid piece of wood that made up the rest of the frame, was an exact replica of the adjacent photo. No, Kurenai could admit that 'replica' didn't do the work justice. Every contour of the skin, every eyelash, every single strand of hair had been recreated with such exquisite care and detail that Kurenai wondered if the figures would turn and wave to here at any moment. It so beautifully done that she found herself thinking of the color photo next to it as almost a mockery of its perfection.

"Impressive, aren't they." Jagaa's words cut into her thoughts. She could scarcely manage an agreeing nod as she stares mesmerized by what she was seeing. "I met this young kid about, oh, I'd say eight years back, who had a hobby of reproducing photos as wood carvings. I was so impressed that I started paying him to redo my photos and from there it became a business for him. He's doing pretty well from what I hear."

"They're beautiful." Kurenai breathed as she slowly moved her eyes over each photo/carving. She faintly heard him chuckle but she knew there was no ill intention behind it.

"Glad you're enjoying it." He said just before the sound of a box being ripped open drew her attention to him. She watched as he carefully pulled out a stack of more photos like the ones hanging his walls. Setting it on the floor, he pulled off the top one, examined it, the placed it off to the side. "Yes." He muttered to himself before he picked up the next one. "...maybe." He set this one on the other side of him and grabbed the next.

Kurenai watched him do this several times before her eyes were once again pulled to the pictures on the wall. "So what are you doing?" She asked as she leaned in close to a picture.

"Sorting." He answered as he picked up another one. "I only have so much space on the walls, so I only put my favorites up and the others go in storage." He set that one on a pile and grabbed the next. "I was going to ask for your help, but it might be better if I do it myself after all. So feel free to look at the ones I already have up."

Kurenai simply nodded and continued scanning. She was surprised by how many scenic pictures there were on this wall. Landscapes, horizons, the clouds, the moon, and more lined this particular wall. There were a few with people in them, including a very cute younger Naruto, but mostly it was just the scenery. As if he just wanted a picture of everything the world had to see. To be honest, Kurenai found it somewhat endearing.

Looking to another wall, she noticed that this one was all pictures of people. Moving over to it, she smiled at what she first found.

Almost in the middle of the wall where it could be quickly spotted was the Team 7 photo they had taken earlier that year. Jagaa, as usual being unable to do anything normally, had grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled both of them down so that their heads were almost on their students' shoulders just before it was taken. Kurenai chuckled as she looked at all their expressions. Sasuke was scowling at Jagaa due to the man's proximity, Sakura looked completely surprised, Ino was laughing in amusement, Kurenai herself looked like she was about to yell at him (which she had), and Jagaa wore a grin that showed he was enjoying himself immensely. Shaking her head at the memory, Kurenai moved to other pictures, marveling at the variety.

Jagaa and Naruto sparring. '_Probably before they came to Konoha._'

A young Jagaa being hugged by an older woman while three older men stood behind them. '_It looks like he's being restrained more than hugged though, for some reason._'

A self-picture of Jagaa smirking after doodling on a sleeping Naruto's face. '_Typical._'

Naruto and the woman who had been hugging Jagaa eating ramen together. '_I wonder who she is. She's in quite a few pictures?_'

Naruto and the Hokage glaring at each other in the Hokage tower. '_Is that electricity sparking between them?_'

Naruto bashing a smaller, brown haired boy over the head. '_Isn't that the Hokage's grandson!?_'

The Hokage laying in pool of his own blood. '_What in the world gave him a nosebleed like that?_'

Ino, Sakura, and Sasuke collapsed on the ground and looking thoroughly exhausted as they glared at the man behind the camera. '_Probably when he kidnapped them in Wave country_.'

Jagaa attempting to force feed Naruto a stem of broccoli and the boy himself defiantly trying to fend his brother off with his right hand while his left clutched a cup ramen protectively. '_Naruto is so small in this. I wonder if it was soon after they met. And who took the picture?_'

Kurenai was laughing silently at the scene as she moved on to the next picture, but what she saw instantly froze that laughter as a sight she would never have believed greeted her. Taking a couple steadying breaths, she tried to keep her tone as casual as possible as she spoke. "You have quite a few good pictures on this wall, Jagaa."

"I know right." He said, still working on his sorting. "I call that my 'Best of the Best' wall. It's were I put my favorite photos."

Kurenai swallowed at that, her eyes still on the picture. "So...would you ever put up a picture of someone...you didn't like? Even if the picture was well taken?"

"Hell no. Why would I want the ugly mug of someone I hated on my wall where I had to see them all the time? I'd probably only take a picture of someone I didn't like so I could have the pleasure of burning it with a katon jutsu." He paused and she got the feeling he was turning to face her. "Why would you even-" The man's words came to an abrupt halt and Kurenai thought she heard the splintering of wood, leading her to believe he had just realized what picture she must be talking about.

Her eyes were calm and her face serene as she stared out over the land scape with a gentle smile on her lips. A single hand had been brought to the side of her face in order to gently push a stray lock of hair behind her ear while the rest of it danced playfully in the wind.

Kurenai had no idea when this picture could have been taken. She guessed it was on the training grounds though, judging by the trees in the background. Several moments passed in awkward silence and just when Kureniai was starting to regret saying anything about the picture, Jagaa cleared his throat.

"So, you know, I have this partner that I have to work with as an instructor for a team of genin, and the two of us are always fighting. In fact, it's so bad, that we've actually pulled weapons on each other before."

Kurenai blinked a couple times in surprise at being spoken to like a third party, but she had to admit that it removed a bit of the tension and so she decided to play along. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, it's definitely been a ride." He laughed a bit before continuing. "I suppose it's only natural though. I can't stand conforming to rules and she's a stickler for them. Not the best combo by any means." Jagaa went silent for a moment, picking up a picture and examining it. "But, despite our differences, I've never once disliked her."

Kurenai was certain that if she had been holding something just then, she would have dropped it. "E-Excuse me?" She heard him snort lightly and knew that her fumble of the tongue had not gone unnoticed. Thankfully though, Jagaa didn't feel the need to bring it up and simply continued.

"Well, why should I? She's actually one of the main reasons that I've been enjoying my time in this village. I've met a lot of women in my traveling. Some were infatuated with me and clung to me like lost puppies. Some detested me and wouldn't have anything to do with me. Others just didn't care either way." He paused, his head tilting towards the ceiling slightly. "Her though, I can never really pin down. Most of the time we're fighting, mostly my fault I'll admit, but then there are times where we get along fine. If nothing else, I respect her. Not only because of her care for both her village and our students, but because she's one of the few people that will never back down no matter how much crap I give her." Jagaa chuckled. "Yeah, she makes being here fun. That's for sure."

Kurenai wasn't sure how she should feel about that last part. "So, you keep her picture up because you respect her?"

"Well, that and…other reasons." Jagaa's voice became almost shy and Kurenai couldn't help but turn to look at him. "I mean, I'd never seen her like that before. Calm…serene…her face filled with warmth and joy. It was…surprising. I'd always known she was attractive, but when I took that picture…" Jagaa hesitated and took a long, steadying breath.

"I thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

Kurenai froze and something felt as if it had just shifted inside of her chest, but she didn't know what. She knew she felt like she should say something, anything, but no words would come. Leaving her only able to stand there in an awkward silence.

"But don't tell her I told you that. I'd hate for her to think I actually like her."

And just like that, the awkward feeling vanished and a soft breath of laughter took its place. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Of course not." Jagaa's smile was playful and she got the distinct impression he'd just winked at her. "Might ruin our entire hate and violence filled relationship."

"And you would lose your primary source of entertainment, I suppose?"

"Exactly!"

Despite the fact she was rolling her eyes, Kurenai couldn't help but marvel at the man in front of her. She felt she may never understand how a person could take such a potentially uncomfortable situation and turn it into a type of inside joke, but she was glad that he had. She also had to admit she felt a large amount of her resentment towards him slipping away and knew it wouldn't be coming back. After all, it was a little hard to hate someone who had said they respected you _and_ called you beautiful, no matter how round about the way they did it.

Kurenai then had an idea that she could only attribute to prolonged exposure to the man in the room with her. Smiling mischievously to herself, she turned back to the picture and made her voice as innocent as possible. "So there was a time you thought she was beautiful. Was there ever a time you thought she was, say, incredibly sexy?" This time there was a distinct splintering of wood and she hoped it wasn't an important picture. Looking back over her shoulder to see his reaction she almost burst out laughing.

Jagaa,_ the_ Jagaa, was sitting as if he had been frozen in place and blushing from head to toe. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

All too soon, in her opinion, Jagaa cleared his throat noisily and, despite the fact he was still blushing, raised his chin thoughtfully. "Dunno. Was there ever a time you stood in a man's doorway and eyed his bare torso like a starving she-wolf eyeing a piece of meat?"

This time it was Kurenai's turn to blush and clear her throat. "Yes, well, I suppose we don't need to share _everything_ with each other now, do we?"

"Agreed."

The pair once again fell into silence, but not an uncomfortable one. Instead, a soft smile had made its way to Kurenai's lips as she thought about the man behind her and all that she had heard and seen that day.

"You two are so cute together."

Two simultaneous shouts of surprise rang out as the pair snapped their faces towards the window to find Kakashi smiling at them over the top of his book. "I'm rather glad my curiosity led me to hide my presence when I sensed the two of you here together, and I'd really love to keep watching and see if you end up acting out a scene from Icha Icha, but Hokage-sama is summoning all jounin to his office immediately."

"...Kakashi, how long have you been there?" Jagaa asked dangerously.

The silver haired jounin smiled wider. "Since you started your third person story. See you at the Hokage tower." With a single wave, the other jounin disappeared with a swirl of leaves."

"...I hate him."

Kurenai was inclined to agree.

X

"Oroki-who-za?"

"Orochimaru." The Sandaime sighed at the question. "Surely you've at least heard of him?"

Jagaa stroked his chin for a moment. "Nope. Can't say that I have." The incredulous stares he was receiving made him look around in confusion. "What?"

"You really don't know about Orochimaru?" Asuma asked. "He and the other members of the Konoha Sannin are very famous in the ninja world."

Jagaa tilted his head. "Members of the who?" If they had been staring at him before, they were outright gaping at him now. Jagaa's lips pursed in annoyance. "Seriously. _What_?"

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "I'm sure everyone is just surprised that you don't know of the Konoha Sannin. They are the three of the most powerful Ninja our village has ever produced. They were all trained by me and were a crucial power in the last war."

"Oh." Jagaa scratched the back of his head. "I guess I don't really pay attention to hero stories or reputations. It doesn't matter in a fight anyway since the stronger person is going to win whether they have a reputation or not. Reputations just invite trouble." There were several agreeing nods to the man's words. Mostly by those who had reputations of their own.

'_Spoken like one who knows._' Sarutobi mentally smirked. If he hadn't learned of the man's identity, Sarutobi would have passed Jagaa's words off as simple uncaring. However, now, he knew that wasn't the case. Still, it wasn't his place to bring that knowledge to light and they had more important matters to discuss. Clearing his throat again, the old man's face became serious. "Getting back to the matter at hand, Orochimaru is also one of the most _evil_ ninja our village has ever produced and has sworn vengeance upon Konoha and its people for when he was driven out before. Now, it seems, he has come back and is moving amongst the Chuunin Exam." The Sandaime brought the pipe to his lips, slowly blowing the smoke out before continuing. "What's more, according to Anko, Orochimaru has stated that, should we try to stop the Chuunin Exam, he will launch an attack on Konoha."

There was a stirring of murmurs through the room and one man wearing an ANBU mask stepped forward. "My apologies, Hokage-sama, but is it wise to trust the word of the traitor's former apprentice." Several sets of glares, Kurenai's being the strongest, as well as the Hokage's irritated scowl settled on the man, but he continued without heed. "It's possible that Anko is working with her former teacher and is plotting with him in order to destroy Konoha. I suggest we arrest her and-" The rest of his words were never heard as a fist slammed into the side of his skull, slamming him against the wall with a sickening crack before he fell limply to the floor, twitching slightly in unconsciousness.

"Anybody have a problem with what I just did?" Jagaa asked, his relaxed tone sounding more threatening than if he had been growling. No one did…or they were simply smart enough not to voice it if they did.

"Man's certainly got a way with words." Kakashi noted with amusement as he turned a page in his book.

"YOSH! My second eternal rival's passion burns hotly with youth in defense of our friend and comrade, Anko!" Gai declared as he broke out the infamous 'Nice Guy' pose. Asuma just chuckled, and Kurenai was making no effort to hide her pleased smile.

"I'm sure it goes without saying," Sarutobi continued without comment on Jagaa's actions or even giving the insulting ANBU a glance, "that all Jounin and Chuunin are to be on high alert during the duration of the exams. Keep watch for any suspicious activity and report immediately if you notice even the slightest thing out of place. Understood?" There was a chorus of "Yes, sir!" and the Hokage nodded approvingly. "Now, the next thing I would like to discuss is-"

"Hokage-sama!" A Chuunin burst into the room and kneeled down in front of the desk. "Forgive me for interrupting, but we have word on the exam participants!" The Sandaime nodded his consent for the news to be shared and the Chuunin continued. "The first to arrive was the team from Suna, who set a new record time." There was a murmur of amazement through the room but the Chuunin continued. "The next to arrive were the teams led by Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, and Maito Gai, as well as the team led by Yuuhi Kurenia and …Jagaa-san. They arrived collectively."

"So they formed an alliance, huh?" Asuma said as he thoughtfully scratched his beard. "I suppose it's not surprising, considering it's them."

"With all due respect, Asuma-san, it's possible that it was simply a coincidence."

All eyes fell back to the Chuunin. "Please explain." The Hokage ordered.

"Well, Hokage-sama, reports indicate that Uzumaki Naruto created an army of kagebunshin that attacked every team in the vicinity, that wasn't a Konoha team, and demanded that they hand over any scrolls they had or, quote, suffer the worst beat down of their meaningless existence, end quote. The few who tried to fight were…regretful, that they had not listened." The Chuunin winced a bit from the memory of the report and continued. "It's possible he simply gave the other teams any spare scrolls he acquired."

This time all eyes, some holding an air of accusation, turned to Jagaa who just shrugged and grinned proudly. "That's my brat."

X

Naruto, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Hinata and Tenten sat outside the door to the medical room where Sasuke had been taken for an examination as soon as they arrived at tower in the forest of death. Or rather, everyone except Naruto was sitting. The blonde was, instead, pacing back and forth and constantly throwing half worried, half glaring looks at the door. Worried for his comrades condition, angry at himself for allowing it to happen, the boy could barely contain his desire to break down the door and demand to know Sasuke's condition.

"Calm down, Chibi." Tenten said suddenly as if reading his thoughts. "You've done all you can. Hell, you took out every team in the area to make sure you had the scrolls we all needed and then practically bulldozed the way here to get him to the medic nin. No one could have done more."

"It shouldn't have happened at all." Naruto grated out. "I should have been able to do something. _Anything_! But I just stood there and let it happen!" The boy slammed the side of his fist on the wall, cracking it in a rough circle just bigger than his hand.

"From what I understand," Hinata commented, turning the boy's eyes to her, "your opponent was no ordinary Shinobi. The fact that you were all able to survive at all is an accomplishment in and of itself. You should at least be grateful for that."

Naruto grit his teeth, wanting to retort in some way, but he knew she was right. They had only survived because that Orochimaru guy had _let_ them. As much as Naruto didn't want to admit it, there was no way they could have ever beaten him if he had seriously been fighting. Plus, as Hinata sat there with her arms folded, Naruto could see the way her finger tips were digging into her biceps just a bit harder than they should be, and he knew that those words were for her as much as for him. She was angry at herself for not being there to help, even if she knew it wouldn't have made a difference. Naruto knew, because that's how he would have been feeling.

There was a clicking sound and all eyes turned towards the double doors where Anko was now coming out of. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto was standing directly in front of her. "Crazy Lady? How's Teme?"

Anko looked down at the boy as well as the others closing in behind him and sighed. "He's alive…for now." Several audible gasps echoed through the hall as she continued. "That mark that was left on his neck is known as a Curse Seal. It's something that Orochimaru puts on people he wants as subordinates and could potentially give him a large power increase. However..." Anko looked back at the doors she had just walked through. "There is only a ten percent chance he will survive the process. And even if he does…" Anko trailed off, her hand unconsciously going to the nape of her neck. Catching herself, she jerked it away and looked back at the gathered Genin. "As it stands, it might be best for you all to prepare for the worst."

Several gasps sounded and Ino instantly began to tear up, her face dropping into her hands while others looked down in silence.

"He'll make it."

The sudden proclamation pulled all eyes to Naruto who was looking at Anko in a manner that bordered defiance. "He's not going to die. He'll make it." The blonde shifted his gaze to the double doors again. "We've got a promise. The only one allowed to kick his ass is me. So he'll make it." His fists clenched again as his eyes seared the door.

"He has to."

X

It burned.

Sasuke's whole body felt like he was trapped in a fire.

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He could only burn.

'_Am I dead? Did that person kill me?_'

The last thing Sasuke remembered was the disguised man sinking his teeth into the base of his neck before pain flooded his senses.

'_Is everyone else okay!? What happened after I blacked out!?_'

"**They're dead.**"

Suddenly, Sasuke found himself floating in a sea of golden fire and staring at a younger version of himself that was on his knees and crying.

"**They're dead, because I wasn't strong enough to protect them.**"

Sasuke's eyes widened as the forms of his dead parents materialized in front of his younger self.

"**They're all dead. Because I didn't have any power.**"

'_No!_' Sasuke took a step back, his eyes completely horrified as the dead bodies of his friends and teammates appeared. His gaze going to one body in particular that appeared charred and smoking. '_No! That didn't happen!_'

"**If I don't have power, I can't save anyone. I can't help anyone.**" Sasuke's younger self stopped crying and looked at Sasuke himself. A crazed glint coming to his right eye as his hand covered up his left. "**I need power.**" The young Sasuke drug his left hand down his eye and revealed the same reptilian eye of the shinbobi that had attacked him. "_**You**_** need power.**"

The burning sensation of his body intensified and Sasuke's mind went blank again as he screamed in pain.

X

"Anko-san! He's waking up!"

All eyes turned to the medic nin that had just burst through the double doors, several loud sighs of relief being heard.

"Hah! Told you the teme would make it!" Naruto cheered proudly.

Anko, though, could tell something wasn't quite right. "What happened?"

The medic nin shook his head. "We don't know. We just know that as soon as he started to show signs of waking, his body began releasing large amount of chakra."

She was passing by the medic nin before most of the others in the hall had even realized she moved. "Keep them out. Things could get dangerous in there."

"Hai, Anko-san."

"Wait a second!" Naruto's voice sounded behind her. "What the hell is going-" The last of his shout was drowned out as the doors shut behind her. She would apologize to the boy later, but at the moment, she had to get to the Uchiha boy and make sure he didn't go out of control. She could already feel the foul chakra of her traitor sensei permeating the air and she knew the power that the curse seal could bestow on someone. It could very well be too much for the boy to handle psychologically. Especially considering his past.

As she opened the second door to the room the Uchiha boy was in, Anko felt her blood chill. Sasuke was on his feet, her old sense's disgusting chakra swirling around him. His body was half covered with black markings that almost looked like flames, and his sharingan was activated. As his red, swirling eyes locked on her, Anko tensed. Ready to take the boy down if he became violent under the seal's influence.

Sasuke looked around the room slowly. He could feel power coursing through his body. It was intoxicating. But he didn't have time to revel in his new power. He needed to find them.

He looked around the room. His sharingan slowly rotating as he examined each figure clad in white that surrounded him. Somewhere, deep down, he knew they were not the enemy, but he also knew that there were no signs of those he sought amongst these figures.

'_I have to find them._' His eyes locked on a woman in a trench coat that he felt he should recognize. He noticed her battle ready stance and his eyes narrowed. '_Is she trying to stop me from finding them?_'

Anko felt a chill run down her spine and she knew that she had just been marked as an enemy. She saw the black markings slowly spread further over the boy's body and grimaced. Stopping the boy without hurting him was going to be extremely difficult in this situation, but she couldn't see any other way. She saw his foot shift slightly and knew he was about to attack, but before either of them could make a move, the door behind Anko burst open.

"Sasuke!"

All eyes turned to Naruto who was standing in the doorway, flanked by every other genin that had been in the waiting room. After her initial surprise, Anko's first thought was to question how the group had gotten there when there were supposed to be guards outside, but quick glance down the hall revealed the hall revealed the said guards to be unconscious on the floor and looking like a stampede had run over the top of them. If it were any other situation, Anko would have laughed at the sight.

Sasuke's eyes roved over each face of the genin who had just burst into the room. It was them. He had found them. He focused on a single head of pink hair before his eyes dropped him to meet a set of bright green ones. "You're safe." He said just barely loud enough to be heard. He's then turned his attention towards the boy in the middle, whose bright blue eyes where is locked on him with surprise. "You're all...safe." He closed his eyes, relief flooding through him even as his body went weak and he began to fall forward.

Naruto was already there to catch him, having seen the way the other boy's legs had begun to buckle. The blonde genin watched as the weird black markings that had covered Sasuke began to recede back to the 3 tomo like marking on his neck. Naruto then looked up at Anko, confusion in his eyes as to what happened, but her expression showed that she was just as confused as he was.

Anko gnawed on her lip as she looked down at the raven haired boy in Naruto's grasp. She had no idea how he had done it, but the boy was able to subdue the curse seal's influence. No. That wasn't right. It was more like the seal had attached itself to a certain desire he had, and then disappear once the desire had been realized.

'_You're safe_.'

Anko's eyes widened in realization as the boy was put back on the hospital bed by Naruto and Kiba. If she was right, the curse seal had actually attached itself to his desire to protect his friends. While most of the time this could be considered a good thing, the fact that it was her old sensei's tainted chakra that he was drawing on could have serious negative consequences, depending on the situation. Either way, Anko knew she would need to discuss this with the Hokage as soon as possible.

X

"Jagaa! Wai-" The Hokage winced as the door to his makeshift office slammed shut.

"He didn't take a very well, did he." Kakashi noted off-handedly, turning a page in his book.

"Maybe...I shouldn't have mentioned my encounter with Orochimaru." Anko said. Her voice low as she rubbed it the hand she had stabbed through in her attempt to kill her old sensei along with herself.

Kurenai shook her head. "No. It's probably best that we learned about it now as opposed to later." Kurenai wasn't sure if her friend had caught the 'we' she had used instead of 'he', but whether she did or not really didn't matter. Kurenai knew why Jagaa had reacted the way he had to what Anko had said. Because it was the same way Kurenai herself had reacted, though with less display. When Anko told them all that she tried to use a suicide technique to kill the snake sannin, and then apologized to the Hokage for coming back alive, it was all Kurenai could do to keep herself from slapping her friend. Hearing that, on top of hearing that his brother, as well as their team, had been attacked by the same person she had tried to suicide with, had probably forced the openly emotional man to make a hasty exit lest he lose himself to that anger.

So, yes, Kurenai could understand how he felt.

"I can perform the sealing on him as soon as he wakes up." Kakashi's voice pulled her from her thoughts, making her realize she had missed a significant portion of the conversation.

"Do it." The Hokage ordered. "We must take every precaution to ensure Sasuke-kun isn't corrupted by Orochimaru any further than he already has been." He then turned his eyes to Kurenai. "And I'll need you to keep an eye on Jagaa, Kurenai-san. Make sure he doesn't do anything rash."

Kurenai honestly wasn't sure if she could, or would even want to in this case, keep her partner jounin from reacting rashly, but she decided it would be best not to say as much and simply nodded as she answered. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

After seeing the Hokage's acknowledging nod, Kurenai turned back to her friend and she was reminded of something that she couldn't quite understand. That being the strange knot she had felt in her stomach when the thought crossed her mind, when he had gotten so angry about her attempted suicide, that Jagaa might see Anko as more than just a friend. She knew that wasn't the case, of course. After all, the pair had made it clear, on several occasions, that they had no romantic inclination towards each other besides friendship, despite their physical encounters, and that they had no intentions of changing that. What bothered Kurenai the most though, was that it felt like she was seeking reassurance with that knowledge.

X

Sakura sat silently as she watched over her unconscious teammate. She and Ino had been swapping out on being in the room with Sasuke in case he woke up. Not that one of them had to be in there all the time. That second examiner, Anko, had assured them it was highly unlikely the boy would wake up in a similar fashion to his last. Plus, with the doctors and guards outside the door, he was about as safe as he could be. So it was more about their duties as teammates to be there for him than a concern for his safety.

Truth be told, Sakura didn't really like being alone in the room with Sasuke. Not that she wasn't worried about him or wanting him to recover, of course. She was just as hopeful as Ino that their raven haired teammate would soon awaken.

No, the reason she didn't like being alone with him, was due to conflicting emotions at war with in her.

When she looked at him, she could still see that enormous fire ball bearing down on her. Still feel the terror that filled her that day. Memories that only fueled the small amount of animosity she had developed for the boy for nearly killing her.

But now, she was also seeing something else. She could see the truth in his eyes as he swore to protect her in the face of death. She could feel his sincere desire to do so. And, even more than that, she could recall the fluttering and her chest at those words. A sensation she didn't think the raven haired boy lying here now could have ever produced in her again.

"What's wrong with me?" She questioned silently, gripping the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

A loud slam echoed through the hallway and Sakura jumped to her feet, her hand already dipping into her weapons pouch as she looked to the open door to the room.

It only took a second for a very familiar figure to pass in front of her vision. Her green eyes widening surprising, she quickly went to the open doorway and looked down the hall where her male sensei had gone. She got there just in time going to see him punch one of the concrete pillars as he walked by, creating the same loud slamming noise she had heard earlier.

Sakura winced and unconsciously rubbed her knuckles when she saw the cracks left behind in concrete. Obviously he was using chakra to enhance his fist, but it still looked painful. For a moment she wondered what might have happened to put him in such a mood, but quickly shrugged it off as probably another fight between him and Kurenai-sensei. Shaking her head, she turned to go back to where she had been sitting but then paused, her mind drifting back to that night by the fire and the words he had said to her.

She once again looked down the hall in the direction he had gone. She knew this was probably a bad time. Just as she also knew there was a possibility he would have no insight as to what she was going through. However, even more than that she knew that, at this time, she trusted him possibly even more than she trusted her parents.

Taking one deep, calming breath, she quickly followed after her scarred sensei.

X

Jagaa had to admit, violently kicking open those main doors had left him feeling slightly satisfied. Not much, but slightly. Although, he did get the feeling that that two guarding it weren't all that pleased with him. However, whether do to his reputation or his mood, they wisely chose not to press the issue.

He walked out until he was just beyond the tree line before stopping. Tilting his head up slightly and letting his arms hang loosely at his sides, he took comfort in the feel of the gentle breeze flowing over his skin and the sound of rustling leaves filling his hearing. He took a long, deep breath in through his nose and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling through his mouth, letting the slow release and the wind on his skin wash away his anger.

It had taken all the willpower he possessed not to blow up on Anko back in that room. Not that he was angry at her for trying to sacrifice herself to kill an enemy in order to protect her village and the people she cared about. Especially if what he had been told about this 'Orochimaru' guy was true. Besides that, he could understand the desire to protect those you care about even at that cost of your own life. No, what had made him so angry, was that she apologized for coming back alive. That suicide had been her _first_ choice. Not her _Last_. No matter what the reason, Jagaa could not easily forgive someone, especially someone he cared about, for simply giving up on life.

The other problem, and somewhat added to his anger, was that he _couldn't_ blow up on her about it without having to explain _why_ he blew up on her about it, and that really wasn't something he wanted to get into. He was happy with the way things were between him and the people around him.

Jagaa sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his sunglasses raising slightly as he did, and wondered what consequences his sudden exit might bring. Kakashi and the Old man didn't really matter. He wasn't too concerned with what conclusions they might draw. Anko would probably question him about it later, but he was certain she would understand it was just a friend getting mad for a friend. The only one he was really concerned about was Kurenai. He hoped that she wouldn't misunderstand...

Jagaa froze in his actions as the thought struck him before pulling his hand away and raising his head slightly. "Where the hell did that come from?" He muttered to himself.

"Where did what come from, sensei?"

"Fukinshifukdamnit!" Jagaa's unintelligible shout of surprise echoed through the forest as he wheeled around to face an equally surprised teenage girl. "Sakura!? You scared the holy hell out of me!" He put his hands on his knees and panted slightly for affect. Truthfully, he wasn't all that surprised someone without harmful intentions had managed to sneak up on him, considering how lost in his thoughts he was. But he still couldn't help but wonder if he was getting too relaxed since joining this village. It seemed like everybody was sneaking up on him these days.

"Sorry, Jagaa-sensei." Then girl apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I had just hoped but I might be able to talk to you about something. But if this is a bad time..."

Jagaa waved off her ending while shaking his head. "Nah, this is actually a great time. I had some things on my mind I would rather not think about at the moment." Walking over to any particularly large tree, he flopped down to the ground, leaning his back up against the trunk, and patted the ground next to him while grinning. "Pull up some earth and let's have a chat."

Sakura smiled at her sensei's demeanor, glad to see that his angry mood from before seemed to have passed. Feeling much more comfortable about talking to him, Sakura sat down on his left side and lightly hugged her legs. "Jagaa-sensei," She looked over to him, hesitating a moment before continuing. "I think there might be something wrong with me."

Jagaa tilted his head slightly, displaying his interest. "What makes you say that?"

Again she hesitated, not completely sure how to explain. "...do you...do you remember how I used to be in love with Sasuke?"

Jagaa grimaced a bit. "How could I forget? My ears still ring when I think about your self-introduction." He wiggled a finger in his left ear to emphasize his words.

Sakura frowned slightly at the action (mostly because she couldn't deny it) but simply continued with what she wanted to say. "Well, after he almost...after that incident, I couldn't look at him that way anymore. Instead I started to look at Naruto. I admit, at first it was just because he saved me, but now I've also come to realize how great a guy he really is. So I was able to completely put Sasuke behind me...at least, that's what I thought."

Sakura's chin dropped onto her knees and she stared ahead blankly. "But, yesterday, Sasuke showed me a side of him that I had never imagined I would see, and my heart skipped a beat in a way I didn't think he could ever make it do ever again. And now, it feels like I'm being torn in half between who I actually like." Her voice took on a note of self-loathing. "For my feelings to be so easily swayed like this. There really must be something wrong with me."

"Yep. There is definitely something wrong with you." Jagaa agreed immediately. "Would you like to know what it is?"

Sakura looked over to the man quickly, only to get a surprise finger flick to the forehead.

"You, my dear Sakura, are fickle." Jagaa said with a smirk.

"Fickle?" She echoed uncertainly, rubbing her forehead while giving the man a look that was part surprise, part indignation, and part curiosity.

"Yep. Fickle." Jagaa scratched his chin thoughtfully. "But it might not be entirely your fault though. Tell me, Sakura, is it possible you were picked on when you were younger?"

Sakura pressed her hand a bit harder into her forehead, but not because of the flick. How could he possibly know how much she had been teased about the size of her forehead when she was little?

"I thought so." He said, taking her silence as confirmation. "You've shown a lot of signs of it. This is just another one of them."

"What...do you mean?" Sakura asked hesitantly. Not sure she wanted to know how he had so easily seen through her.

"Just little things you've said or done here and there. I can't remember any specific examples of the top off my head though." He said with a shrug. "As for your easily swayed feelings, I think it's because you are drawn to people who make you feel safe or important. Make you feel better than you think you are."

Jagaa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It makes sense, if you think about it. Sasuke is an attractive and talented genius that all the girls want. So you pursue him because, if you can win him, it proves all those who used to tease you, wrong. As far as Naruto goes, and now Sasuke again it seems, they protected you. They make you feel safe. You don't need to worry about what other people say about you if you have someone there to keep you safe and protect you from it." Jagaa turned his face back to Sakura. "Long story short. My guess is that your attraction to a boy is driven by your insecurities."

Sakura stared at the man in silence for some time. She wanted to protest his words, but deep down she knew he was right. Even inner Sakura had gone silent. Sakura cast her eyes to the ground, hugging her legs tightly. "Am I really so shallow?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Jagaa chuckled and shook his head. "Not shallow. Young." He smiled when Sakura looked at him again. "There is something very important that you just haven't learned yet." He reached across his body with his right hand and grasped Sakura's own right hand with it. He then guided her hand to her chest and placed it over her heart. "Before you can truly love anyone else, you have to truly love yourself. And I don't mean looking in the mirror and finding features you think are good, or telling yourself what good qualities you have. I mean, love all of yourself, both the good parts and the bad, because, when you love someone, that is what you are doing for them and asking them to do for you."

Jagaa removed his hand from on top of hers before he continued. But before you can start on that, you first need to figure out who you want to be, and why you want to be that person."

Sakura blinked in surprise at the sudden shift of direction to the conversation. "Who I want to be and why?"

"Exactly." The man nodded. "Before you can love yourself, you need to know who you are and who you want to be." He looked back over to her, a small smirk playing at his lips. "So tell me, Sakura, who do you want to be? Without worrying about what Sasuke or Naruto or me or princess or even your parents might think. Who do _you_ want to be? And, even more importantly than that, _why_?"

Sakura gave the man a strange look. What kind of question was that? Obviously she wanted to be a great kunoichi. She opened her mouth to say as much, but stopped when she remembered his words. He had not asked her 'what' she wants to be, but 'who' she wanted to be. And, more importantly, even if a person didn't make a distinction between what and who they wanted to be, he had also asked her 'why'?

Sakura frowned lightly and she thought about the question. Why _did_ she want to become a kunoichi? The answer before had been easy. She wanted to impress Sasuke. She had thought that, if she became a great kunoichi, that he would fall in love with her the way she was in love with him. But, after the incident, that reason really hadn't held much value anymore. So why had she still wanted to train?

She could say that it had become been to impress Naruto instead of Sasuke, but she knew that wasn't true. Naruto wasn't the type that would need somebody to be strong in order to like them. He liked people for who they were and never asked them to be anything else.

She could say it was because Jagaa-sensei had forced her to train, but that's also wasn't true. From what she had learned of the man since then she knew that, if she had truly wanted to quit being a ninja, he not only would have been okay with it, he would have supported her completely. Sakura also believed that Kurenai-sensei would have as well.

Her parents? No. They had never wanted her to become a ninja in the first place. Actually, they would have been thrilled if she had told them she wanted to quit.

So why didn't she want to quit it?

For some reason Jagaa-sensei's comment about her latching on to people that made her feel protected ran through her mind again and her frown got a little deeper. She had never really thought about it before, but he was completely right. Even before Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura had once latched on to Ino for the very same reason. During her early childhood when she was being picked on the hardest, the blonde girl had swooped and saved her from her life of being teased by giving her confidence and becoming her best friend. The only reason Sakura was able to become who she is today was because of Ino.

Sakura's eyes widened slightly. '_Always...protected?_'

Ino had protected her from being bullied. Naruto had protected her from Sasuke's attack. Sasuke protected her from the foreign ninja. Even Inari, a 10 year old civilian, had protected her from those mercenaries with his cross bow. Also, when they had started the mission to wave country, she hadn't been expecting to be protected by the jounin and not have to do any fighting herself.

'_Is that who I am? Someone who always has to be protected?_' Sakura's teeth clenched and her finger nails dug into her arms. '_Yes. That's exactly who I am. But that's not who I want to be!_' She raised her gaze towards the sky she could see through the tree tops, her green eyes seeming to shine as felt her determination grow. '_I don't want to be someone that has to be protected by others all the time. I want to be someone that is strong enough to protect others. I want to be a great kunoichi that can stand on my own feet no matter what life may throw at me. I want to be someone that people can be proud of. To be someone '_I_' can be proud of!_'

"So you've started to understand who you want to be, have you?"

Sakura jumped visibly at the sudden comment before looking over to her sensei who was smiling in amusement at her reaction. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she had actually forgotten the man was there. "How did you know?"

"I was watching the 'Sakura facial expression theater'. It was rather entertaining." He gave her a wide grin, which made her pout a little bit, before continuing. "I'm glad that you were able to find out who you want to be, though."

Sakura frowned slightly at that. "Is it really supposed to be so easy? To figure out who you want to be, I mean?"

"Actually, yes." He said easily. "The problem is that most people don't sit and take the time to figure out who they want to become. They just complain about who they wish they were."

Sakura tilted her head is she thought about that. It was actually pretty true. She could remember when all she did was cry about being teased and how she wished she were someone else, but never actually tried to _be_ someone else. If it hadn't been for Ino...she shook her head to clear away those thoughts. She owed the blonde girl more than she could say, but that could wait till later. Instead, she looked back to her male sensei and smirked. "That's true. You know, you are really good at this whole 'sensei' thing, Jagaa-sensei."

The man scratched the back of his head and let out a small chuckle. "I don't know about that. But I do have a lot of practice being a big brother. So maybe some of that experience just tends to leak into this job."

Sakura stood up, dusting of her pants off she did, and looked back over to her sensei. "Well, either way, I'm really glad you came to Konoha, Jagaa-sensei." She could tell that the comment surprised him by the slight raise of his eyebrows and she giggled silently as she walked. She had only gone a few steps when she was suddenly struck with an idea and turned back to him. "So, Jagaa-sensei, if you think you are better at being a brother than a teacher," She struck as seductive a pose as she could, her fingers tips lightly touching her bottom lip as she fluttered her eyelashes at him and spoke in her cutest voice, " should I call you Onii-chan?"

Jagaa laughed, grabbing a handful of leaves and throwing them at her. "Get out of here you little vixen."

Sakura laughed as well as she ran out of the range of leaves before stopping to look back one more time. "Thank you, Jagaa-sensei." He responded with a simple wave and, with one more smile, she ran back to the tower.

Jagaa kept his hand raised until he saw the girl disappear through the doors. Once she had, he slowly let it drop onto his lap and tilted his head back against a tree so that his face was pointed towards the sky. "...Onii-chan, huh?"

X

Jagaa yawned loudly, his right hand making a fist in front of his mouth to partially conceal it, only to jolt in surprise at when a slim elbow jabbed into his ribs.

"Stop that!" Kurenai hissed as several of the other jounin standing in the line behind the Konoha leader glanced their way. "The Hokage is giving an important speech right now. Yawing like that is disrespectful."

Jagaa shrugged uncaringly, rubbing his ribs as he did. "Yeah, yeah. Representatives of each country. The exam symbolizes warfare between the nations. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I can hear, Princess."

"Then quit yawning like that. You're embarrassing us in front of the foreign jounin." Kurenai chastised, earning yet another yawn for her efforts.

X X X

Naruto yawned loudly, his right hand clapped over his mouth in an attempt to stifle it a bit, only to jolt in surprise when he felt a light blow to the back of his head.

"Stop that, Chibi!" Tenten hissed at him as several of the other genin standing in the formation glanced over. "The Hokage is giving us a speech right now."

Naruto shrugged uncaringly, rubbing the back of his head as he did. "Yeah, yeah. We represent our countries. The exams are a form of war between the countries. Blah, blah, blah. I heard it all, Bun-chan."

"Then stop yawning. You're making us look bad in front of the other teams." The bun-haired girl scolded.

"Whatever." The boy grunted before attempting to stifle another yawn.

Up behind the Hokage, Asuma and Kakashi shared a chuckle as the watched both very similar events transpire.

"Yo, Teme," Naruto suddenly whispered, lightly jabbing his finger into the Uchiha's back, "how are you feeling? Is that weird mark bothering you at all?"

Sasuke's hand went up to rub the base of his neck. "Not really. Not after Kakashi-sensei did the sealing."

"Oh yeah. How did that go?" Kiba asked from the side. "None of us were allowed to go in and you were knocked out again for another three days when it was done."

Sasuke's eyes went distant as he remembered the day he Kakashi had sealed the curse mark on his neck.

/Flashback/

_Sasuke was a bit nervous as he sat in the middle of the large array of words and symbols drawn on the floor while Kakashi-sensei finished adding the remaining lettering to his shirtless body so that it all seemed to connect to the strange mark on his neck. Sasuke shifted his eyes to the left, getting a better view of Kurenai-sensei, Jagaa-sensei, and Anko that were observing the process. Neither they nor Kakashi-sensei had said much during the hour or so that it had taken for the seal to be drawn out, making Sasuke feel even more tense than he otherwise might have. It had been especially bothering to see Jagaa-sensei making such a serious expression. Especially since the only times the young Uchiha had seen that expression directed at him in the past was after the scarred man had either beaten him down or threatened to kill him._

"_Okay. It's finished." Kakashi-sensei said after putting the final touches on the array. "Let's begin." Sasuke heard him take a step back. "SEAL!"_

_Pain shot through Sasuke's body, spreading out from the base of his neck that felt as if the seal was being seared into his flesh. After what felt like hours of agony, the searing finally stopped and Sasuke dropped to his hands and knees, panting heavily and trying to fight back the exhaustion that was trying to overtake him as well as the residual pain from the technique. As he struggled to maintain his consciousness, Sasuke could only really think of one thing._

'Why the hell does EVERY sealing technique have to hurt so damned much!_'_

"_It's done." Kakashi-sensei said. Sasuke looked up to the silver haired man as he continued. "However, the effectiveness of this seal depends entirely on you, Sasuke. It is directly controlled by your own willpower."_

"_Make sure you listen, brat." Sasuke looked over to Anko who had taken a few steps towards him. "Orochimaru's curse seal will give you power. There is no doubt about that. However there are dangers in using it. The seal will pull out your darkest desires and twist your perceptions. Just like it did in the emergency room." Sasuke only nodded as he remembered his inability to recognize either the Konoha medic nin or the woman talking to him now. "Also, in your case, you are in a state that could be considered a gamble. The curse seal has attached itself to your desire to protect your friends. So it is possible that you may be able to maintain your sanity and use the seal for good purposes. However, it is also possible that the seal could twist your protective desires so badly that you actually believe the only way to protect them is to injure them. Possibly even kill them." Sasuke felt his blood run cold at that. He wanted to protest, but the woman was ahead of him. "You may not think that's possible, but believe me, I have seen some pretty twisted shit done by people who thought they were protecting someone. I even remember a mother who murdered all five of her children in order to 'protect them from this evil world'." Anko looked the boy dead in the eye. "The best thing you can do, is never use that cursed power. Don't take the risk."_

_Sasuke's fingernails dug into his shoulder just under the seal. He could remember the power that had flowed through him in that room. It was beyond anything he could have imagined before. He knew he could use it. He could use it to protect his friends. He could use it to avenge his clan. He could use it, but now he didn't know if he dared to. He had already lost everything he cared about once. The very idea that he could lose it all again by his own hand…he was already feeling sick at just the thought._

"_Ah, don't worry so much, Anko-chan. He'll be okay." Sasuke's eyes darted to the source of the voice and found his scarred sensei smirking confidently. "He's stronger than some lizard bastard's curse."_

_Sasuke was more grateful than he could say at the confidence the man had for him. The young Uchiha felt a pride well up in him and a sense of relief flooded through his body. Pride that he had earned the man's approval. Relief that he believed Sasuke capable of overcoming the curse placed upon him. This relief allowed the exhaustion he had been fighting to take hold and he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard before darkness claimed him his senses was Kurenai-sensei saying something about "snakes, not lizards."_

/Flashback End/

"So really nothing then?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke continued to rub the base of his neck. "Well, I feel strange twinges now and then. Not painful. More like a pressure. But other than that, there hasn't been any problems." Sasuke removed his hand and smirked. "So, sorry, Moron. You won't be getting a handicap if we fight. I know you were hoping for one since it's the only way you could beat me."

Naruto gave the Uchiha a smug look and matched Sasuke's smirk. "I was just making sure you weren't planning to use it as an excuse after I've kicked your sorry ass."

"You two should really start paying attention." Tenten warned, pointing past Naruto's head to the front of the formation. Both boys followed her gesture to see a sickly looking man who they didn't know standing in front of the assembled Genin.

"Thank you Hokage-sama. I, Gekkou Hayate, will explain the rules of the preliminary matches."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Preliminaries?"

**AN:** FTK stood with his back to a wall as a massive, and angry, fox glared into his eyes. It's very large and very lethal teeth only a few feet away. **"You said I would get at least three chapters, you damned human! I only got one! I haven't even gotten an appearance in your pathetic story yet! Give me a reason I shouldn't eat your soul this instant!"** FTK sweated profusely as he answered, his eyes never leaving the enormous teeth. "Uh, because, from now on, you'll always help me out when we introduce and close the chapter in the AN?" The Kyuubi thought about it for a moment then grudgingly nodded. **"Fine. But only because I don't want to anger Rhea by eating her partner. It might ruin our date next Friday."** FTK's eyes widened. "You're _dating_ my _muse_!?" Kyuubi growled lowly. **"You got a problem with that, mortal? I admit, I have an attraction to the murderous tendencies she possesses. Just think of the beautiful destruction we could make together." **FTK shuddered, but forced a smile. "Nope. No problem. Glad you two are getting along." The Kyuubi's eyes went distant, possibly imagining death and destruction on humanity, and FTK muttered under his breath. "Just great. My homicidal muse is dating the incarnate of death and destruction. I'm fucked." FTK then turns to the reader. Meaning you. "So, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry it was short. I just wanted to show I was still alive. Hopefully I'll be able to write more. I'm trying to work time into my schedule and I FINALLY know where I can go to get stuff done. But no promises on update speeds. However, I hope you all also enjoy this Omoke. I plan on doing more. You know. Things that I wanted to put into the story but couldn't fit into the story line or things I just thought would be fun to write. Also, if anyone has any ideas of an omake they would like to see, feel free to send it via PM or Review…assuming anyone is still reading this story."

**Omake: The Fly**

Kurenai wasn't overly pleased with the Hokage as she approached the apartment of the notorious blonde brothers. She could understand that he needed to talk to the pair, but couldn't he have sent a chuunin to deliver the message instead. It figured that she would just happen show up in his office when he was looking for someone to send. Sometimes she seriously wondered if Kami had something against her. She had just opened the gate to the apartment complex when she was startled by a sudden shout from her partner jounin.

"It's over there! Get it!" The shout was followed by several loud crashes and several curses. Worried that there was an attack happening, Kurenai leapt up to the doorway and kicked open the door. She was greeted by the sight of both brothers standing in the middle of the living room, weapons at the ready, and staring intently at the surrounding space. All around them, the walls were covered in slashes and impaled by kunai. The furniture was in a similar state with a few chairs and the table having been tipped over. She was just about to ask what was happening when it was Naruto who suddenly shouted. "There it is!" The boy launched several kunai, impaling nothing but the wall.

"Got it!" Jagaa launched forward, his sword swinging through empty air before he spun around and swung again. "Damn it! I missed again!"

"Don't worry, it's mine!" This time it was Naruto slashing at the air with a kunai held in each hand. "Shit! I couldn't get him. This thing has to be a summon! There's no way it could be this good otherwise!"

Kurenai was beyond confused. What in the world were they talking about? She, once again, was just about to ask when a small, black dot passed in front of her eyes, made visible by the white wall behind it and she could only gape in disbelief. "…a fly?"

"There's the bastard!" Both blondes launched themselves towards where the fly had landed. The wall and nightstand took heavy damage, but the fly remained unharmed. "SHIT!" They both shouted in frustration.

Kurenai watched the chaos in numb silence. How in the world could two highly trained ninja be having so much trouble killing a single fly? It was just ludicrous. She was in the midst of following the 'battle' when she saw something out of the corner of her eye, just behind the nearest chair.

Naruto and Jagaa were stalking their enemy carefully. The little bastard had just landed on the wall near the entryway. Perhaps planning to make a hasty escape through the door after their next attack. They knew this could be their last chance to get it. They crouched, poised to pounce. Everything would come down to this final rush.

SMACK!

The blondes stared in shock as their nemesis was destroyed. Crushed under a squareish, net like rubber attached to a long handle. They looked to the woman holding the woman holding the weapon and their jaws dropped.

Kurenai held the flyswatter in her left hand, her arm across her body due to the angle of the strike, and watched the shocked faces of the two brothers. Jagaa was the first to finally speak. "Princess? How the hell did you manage to kill that bastard?"

"…I used your flyswatter." She deadpanned, her eye twitching slightly in irritation.

Jagaa turned to Naruto, his brow raised in surprise. "We have a flyswatter?"

Naruto just shrugged. His own expression revealing that he hadn't known about it either.

"…the Hokage wants to see you." Kurenai dropped the flyswatter and walked back out the door, shaking her head. She wasn't paid enough for this.


End file.
